Welcome To The Masquerade
by stAnd out - SHOUT OUT
Summary: They say that love comes from the heart, so how could a heart that no longer beats feel love? Godric often wonders this as his love for a human woman grows; as does his protective and possessive nature of her. Not only can she bring out the light and happiness within him, but she can also bring out the darkness that he once thought was long gone. Godric/OC GodricXOC
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Blood covered the ground in splatters and drops, footprints of the crimson colour painted across the ground. Torn up feet and bloodied hands stumbled and grasped at passing trees, trying not to fall. Whimpers and sobs escaped the human girl, echoing through the otherwise silent forest, before she shrieked when she stepped on a rock and injured her already abused foot, falling to the ground in a huddle.

The back of her shirt was torn open and left in ribbons, nearly the same condition as the skin beneath. Long lash marks marred her otherwise perfect form, gouging deep—nearly to the bone—and leaving large exits for her blood to flow from.

"_O__ù__ es tu, Azura!_" a heavy male voice called out, causing the young woman to jolt upon the ground. Her limbs shook with effort, but she was able to pull herself back up onto her feet and continue to flee for her life. "Azura!"

Lightning flashed around her, lighting the world so suddenly that she started in surprise and nearly slipped as she rounded a bend in her path. She stood disoriented for but a moment as the thunder followed after the flash, shaking the earth with its roaring call. The air was thick with oncoming rain, hanging heavily around Azura.

"S'il vous plaît, aidez-moi," she mumbled, her voice chocked as she laid her head against the tree she was already leaning heavily against. The world spun around her, the loss of blood catching up to her quickly. She had never lost so much before.

"Azura," the thick French accent drawled, closer now. She trembled as fear gripped her, chocking her, and left her paralyzed. Where could she go, even if she was able to get herself moving again? She had let herself stop, and could not bring her body to move again. The harsh snap of a dead branch from his direction caused her to jerk forward in fright, her body wanting to run, and making her run into a cold, solid barrier.

She nearly careened back, had it not been for who it was that stood before her. Cold hands took hold of her bloodied face, a thumb brushing over the split in her lip, and dark eyes looked into her light ones. She repressed the urge to gasp and sob in relief as she looked into that familiar, pale face. A quick flash of light erupted around them, lighting both their faces and allowing her to see the rage hidden within the depths of those dark eyes.

"Mon ciel," he whispered sadly, moving forward to draw her up to him. Her tired arms encircled his waist before moist air rushed around her, leaving her dazed. His scent caressed her nose, dearly missed over the years that they had been apart. He had them on the other side of the forest before the thunder had rumbled after its bright companion.

"Godric," she whispered desperately, her hands grasping at his bare back. She did not care that he wore only pants, his bare skin pressed against her. The grip that he had to keep on her when he ran caused agony to ripple through her when his hands pressed her gashed back, but she only held onto him more tightly so that he could not leave her again.

"I will heal you," he whispered against her hair, matted with blood. She didn't say anything but felt as he drew one arm away from her, using the other to carefully angle her differently to press her into his side instead. She opened her eyes to watch through the darkness, seeing only the pale outline of him as he bit into his wrist, drawing it up to her lips once he had torn open his flesh with his fangs. "Bois, Azura."

The way her name purred from his lips drew her forward, sounding so pleasant in contrast to the angry man from before. Her eyes drifted closed again as her lips descended to his injury, her tongue met the flesh first before her lips sealed over the bite. Godric's other hand gently moved up to the center of her back and pressed her more firmly against his side, careful not to press too hard on the injuries that scattered along her skin.

The sky decided to open up in that moment, letting out the pent up rain and allowing it to pour down on the earth like a flood from the sky. Azura ran her tongue along the jagged bite on Godric's wrist, feeling the cool rain fall down on her burning back as his cold blood poured into her mouth. The pain was already beginning to fade away from her back, the large lashes beginning to close up and disappear as though they had never been there from the beginning.

The weak, dizzy feeling that came over before began to fade away, Godric's blood soothing all the turmoil—emotional and physical—within her.

"Mon beau ciel," he whispered softly, the harsh pounding of the rain on the earth nearly causing her to miss what he had said. Her heart sang, however, when she caught wind of his whispered words. She drew away from his wrist at last, moving to lean her head against his cold torso.

"Merci, Godric, merci." Her words came out in gasps, her warm hands moving to lie on his bare back. They were nearly the same height, but she kept herself ducked down and tucked her head beneath his chin as his arms embraced her, held her, refused to release her.

She trembled against him; her warm, soft frame contrasted with his cold, sturdy one.

The lightning flashed again, making her look up to the sky. Water fell down onto her face, forcing her to close her eyes quickly, and left a pleasant cool behind. The water washed away all of the blood from her skin, weighing her ruined shirt down and beginning to pull its remains from her shoulders. Thunder rocked the ground, causing her to step up closer to Godric for balance and reassurance.

"You are safe," he whispered against her temple, one of his hands moving up along her back. There were still faint lines left behind from the injuries, but that would be gone before the storm had even passed.

"Take me away," she begged softly, turning her head to kiss beneath his ear. "Take me far, far away, Godric." Her French accent allowed her words to roll off her tongue and make it sound like she was speaking in a fairy-tail, but both new better. His fingers tangled in her messed blonde hair, drawing her away from his shoulder and looking into her face, barely visible in the stormy night. Before she had a chance to speak again his lips had brushed her own, their skin slick with rain. Her lips parted in a silent gasp, allowing him to take her bottom lip between his blunt, human teeth gently for a split second before tugging her forward to deepen the kiss.

Her arms wound around his neck, her own hand moving up to push into his shortened hair. He had cut it into a different style since she had last seen him.

_How she had missed him._

Her back met the cold, wet grass of the field just beyond the tree line, the water continuing to fall down on them at a quickening rate. Their lips danced as their hands caressed, stroked and pulled at one another. Azura's tears blended with the rain that caressed her face, dripping down off Godric's eyelashes to land upon her skin as her happiness grew and swelled.

Godric's hands pushed at the tattered remains of her shirt, her only warning, before he gave one harsh pull and tore the garment off her skin. He did not waste time with reacquainting himself with her body, his tongue laving over new scars, some from him, and his hands stroking the places that he knew were sensitive to the touch.

The tip of his tongue collected the water that slipped down her breast, feeling her body quiver and hearing the impossibly loud sound of her wet heartbeat only inches away from his deadly teeth. As his tongue moved along her breast, he felt something familiar. A full jawed bite mark encircling her nipple. He kissed the scarred skin, feeling a dark sense of pride that his mark had scarred on her flesh.

He could deny himself no longer.

Lightning quick, his fangs buried themselves in her flesh once again, tearing open the scar anew and flooding his mouth with her blood. She gasped aloud as her hands moved to his head, fighting with the pleasure and pain that was quickly consuming her. She felt she could burst into tears from the feelings that he was causing to surge through her.

"I have missed you," he growled against her cheek when he had released her flesh, smearing her blood on her face. She didn't mind the stain, but instead held him closer to her to feel his cold skin against her heated body, pressing her bleeding chest up into him.

"Save me, Godric," she gasped against the flesh of his shoulder, gripping at his back and arms. Rain beat down on them, washing away the remainder of the blood that had covered Azura, dripping down on her from Godric's body. Her head tipped back in a silent scream when they finally connected, Godric's arms slipping beneath her back so his hands gripped her shoulders and kept her still as he thrust his hips forward.

"I will always save you," he swore to her, keeping his cheek pressed against her own as their bodies danced, moved and thrummed together. Rain slicked skin glided together easily, fluidly. "I will always find you."

Another rhythmic thrust.

"Protect you."

_Thrust._

"Take care of you."

_Thrust. _

"You are mine!" Azura screamed out in bliss as his words echoed in her ears, her nails digging into his bared back as she arched up, heels digging into the ground. Godric's entire form tensed and froze as he pressed up into her fully, his hands gripping at her shoulders and his hips forcing hers down into the ground. Lightning lit the sky and thunder shook the very earth they laid upon, but neither cared. He could not walk in the day, or see the sun and sky; he cared not. Azura, his sky, was all that he would ever need.

**This is my first time writing a True Blood fanfiction, so I hope it meets everyone's standards! This is the prologue, meant to tease, so the next update will have much more information. I hope that everyone sticks around to read it! Please review, it would be much appreciated.**


	2. Mankind's Darkness

**Mankind's Darkness**

The world was supposed to have changed so much over the years: cures for diseases, new technology, world peace. People still died of sickness, though, and inventions failed their makers and the world still fought constantly. Now, there was more one thing to fight over. Vampires. _Do we trust them? Do we exile them? They are stronger than we are! How can we fight them off?_ Mass hysteria, no one knew what to make of what had been hidden right beneath their noses. Some people were amazing by the vampires, finding them fascinating and wishing that they could know more, more, more. Others, however, were petrified of the demons that walked among them and wished them gone, going so far as to cover themselves in silver and crosses. _Be gone, vile demons!_

Azura had never met a vampire until she was sixteen years old, in the year 2009, when she had run away from her foster family for the hundredth time. It wasn't the smartest thing that she had ever done, considering that the city was going through uprisings and it was the middle of winter. She didn't even have a coat, only her sneakers and a fairly warm sweater.

She kept her long hair down, letting it fall around her neck to hide it from sight and to keep her warm as a makeshift scarf. Her hands were stuffed in the pockets of the sweater, keeping the long, bony digits as warm as she could. Her blue eyes snapped around her quickly as she walked along the lit streets, always staying with the street lights.

She hopped to get over a patch of ice, bumping shoulders with a woman that was heading in the opposite direction.

"Je suis désolé!" she said quickly as she looked to the woman, seeing her nod her head quietly in acknowledgement before she continued on her way. Azura continued to watch for a moment before turning to continue on. A harsh tug on the back of her sweater made her gasp when she stumbled back, her back collided with a solid surface as an arm wrapped across her chest. A large truck flew past before her in the place where she would have been standing.

Her heart dropped to her feet at the thought of what would have happened had she taken two more steps out on the street. Her hands had flown from her pockets and were now gripping the material of the coat that was covering the arm across her chest. Her body trembled in fear even though she was no longer in danger.

"Are you alright?" A calm male voice asked her gently, cold breath ghosting her ear. Her lips parted to answer, but no sound would pass from her vocal cords. The arm dropped from her chest and she was slowly rotated until she was no longer facing the street but instead looking into greenish blue eyes and the palest complexion that she had seen to date.

"Je…I-" she finally got out, her body still trembling. "Thank you."

He smiled faintly to her, the corners of his lips barely tilting upward.

"You should be more careful," he cautioned gently, looking at her with intense eyes. "What is someone your age doing out so late at night? Are you not cold?" he asked, looking down at her simple jeans and sweater. Her cheeks flushed in shame at the condition of her scuffed pants and handed down shirt. His coat looked new and expensive, his hair cut perfectly and his outfit meticulously matched.

"You look barely older than I, sir," she said in retaliation before she even registered that the words had formed on her tongue. He chuckled, though, a breathy laugh that sounded like the wind, and smiled more fully to her.

"I am Godric, and I am much older than I look," he assured, taking her hand to lead her away from the street corner as a group of people approached so that they were not in the way. She nearly jolted at the icy feeling of his hands, much colder than even her own. It was then that his words finally struck her as she thought back to the cold breath on her ear.

"You're a vampire," she whispered in astonishment as they stepped to the corner of the building. Godric stopped to look at her, his eyes watching her face carefully, gauging her reaction to what he was. "I've never met a vampire." He smiled faintly, catching her off guard. "What?"

"I have never heard someone pronounce Vampire in that way," he answered back, watching the blood rush into her cheeks against as she flushed.

"Do no mock my accent," she mumbled as her eyes fell away from his, her hand dropping from his. Godric felt a loss at the warmth of her hand disappearing, but didn't say anything as she pushed her hands into the pockets of her sweater.

"J'aime votre accent," he assured, causing her to look up to him again. "The people around here seem to believe that the word vampire is a cuss word. I hardly ever hear it."

"I'm so sorry," she said suddenly, causing him to look to her with slightly widened eyes, barely showing his surprise to her words. "Your kind revealed yourselves to the world and humans reacted with fear and hatred, it must make your kind wish to reverse what you've done." Godric looked at her curiously, wondering what made this girl say the things she did.

"You are kinder than many humans I have met; and I have been around for a very long time."

"What does that say about my race," she asked rhetorically, sadly, as she looked into his eyes again. "I should be getting home." Godric nodded in understanding as she looked down the street that she had come from, the people quickly disappearing in their homes as night grew later and later, the vampires coming out. "It was nice to meet you Godric; I'm glad that you're the first vampire I met."

Her lips ghosted his cheek quickly before she was gone, leaving Godric to watch her speed walk down the street. She smelt of cinnamon.

Azura made her way along the streets at a fast pace, retracing her steps to the small bottom floor apartment that her present foster family had. Had she not nearly been run over and saved by Godric, she very well would have kept on walking until she could walk no more. But there was something eating away inside of her that told her to go back, stay in the city for a while longer.

She slipped into the front room as silently as she could, only silence greeting her. She slipped her wet sneakers off her feet, leaving her in socks, and bouncing on the balls of her feet in a type of tip-toe to her tiny bedroom. She didn't want to chance waking anyone up, since they would more than likely punish her for sneaking out so late at night—coming back or not.

Dropping her shoes next to the door, she let herself fall down onto the old, single bed that her 'parents' had given to her. She suddenly felt extremely hot and shucked off the heavy sweater, nearly losing her long sleeved shirt beneath. Her blond hair fell before her eyes, but was thrown back when she fell onto the mattress with a huff.

"Gah!" she gasped out in pain suddenly as her head throbbing in abrupt agony, making her curl up on the bed on her side as her hands grasped at her hair, squeezing her eyes shut. Blurs of movement passed behind her eyes, only for her mind to see, leaving her disoriented and confused. She clenched her teeth against the pain, feeling as though someone had dumped acid into her skull and was shaking it around.

The shapes were impossible to make out, moving around behind her eyes so fast that she couldn't tell if they were people or not, where it was or when it was. It felt like hours of burning pain and agony before, finally, everyone was numb. Azura laid on her bed, her eyes looking to the wall beside her, with her chest heaving.

Her head felt like it had its own pulse, throbbing so badly. She was in pain and fear coursed through her, it always did when she was forced to watch the blurred figures as the moved about, unaware that she could see them through her mind's eye. It wasn't not before her eyes fell closed and her body went limp as she fell into sleep, having no other choice but to rest herself.

She had never had a near death experience before, and she dearly wished never to have one again. She was relieved that she had met Godric when she had, since it was because of him that she was still alive to writhe in pain on her bed, and that it was Godric who had given her her first personal opinion on vampires. Many still frightened her, with the horror stories that she had been told, but she also knew that not all were like the stories.

Vampires were a feared race, man did fear what they did not understand, and she could only hope that time changed that for the better and not for the worse. Man also had a tendency to destroy the things that they feared, even if that meant taking the lives of innocents in the process. She, sadly, could speak from experience in that area. She did not want the vampires to need to worry about their lives as she had, hiding themselves away again.

What else was out there, she wondered, in that wide, wide world? There were vampires, she knew that, and there was whatever it is that she was. Were there such things as werewolves, too? Fairies and guardian angels? The exposure of vampire kind was something that opened up the doors to hundreds more questions, all of which brought fear to the hearts of so many humans. They were normal, supernatural things frightened them.

**ᵻ**

Azura stood in the doorway to the bedroom at the house of her new foster family, looking at the neatness of it. A double bed, a six drawer dresser, a large mirror, closet space. It all seemed like a dream come true after the last place that she had lived in; in her own little _closet_. It couldn't be this good, there was no chance. The foster families that took her in only wanted her because she was an 'easy case' and they could get some quick money out of it. Starve her, use that money for themselves, and then hand her back when they felt that they'd gotten themselves enough for a while.

"How do you like it?" a soft female voice asked from behind her. Azura looked over her shoulder and down slightly, to the smaller woman that had taken her in. "It's usually our guest room, but we don't get many guests anymore." The woman was old, and it made Azura wonder if her lack of guests was because most of her friends had already passed on.

"It's…too much. Everything's new," Azura said in a small voice, looking back at the room again. She didn't want to walk inside, not with her dirty clothes. Her shoes had been taken off already since it was raining outside and she didn't want to ruin that carpet with mud but the hem of her jeans were wet and she wasn't wearing clothes that had been washed. None of her clothes had been washed at her previous residence. She had to sneak them into her 'mother's' laundry and take them back out before she noticed.

"Poor thing, you must go through so much," the old woman, Mrs. Cross, said in a soft and sad tone. "I can only imagine what it must be like to live in a difference home every month."

_No, you can't even imagine,_ Azura thought sadly as she looked between the woman and the room before her.

"I'll let you get settled; don't be shy," Mrs. Cross encouraged before she made her way toward the stairs, leaving Azura to remain standing awkwardly in the doorway of the beautiful room. It really was a terrible thing, to have to move so many times, but people only made it worse by showing her their pity. She didn't want their pity, she could care less about people feeling sorry for her. If someone says 'oh, I'm so sorry to hear that' or 'you poor thing' it won't make it all better. It's just a waste of breath and a waste of Azura's time.

The second time that Azura met a vampire was far more unpleasant than the first. In the year 2010, when she was seventeen, she felt that she couldn't stand another minute inside the fancy bedroom that she had been given and quickly took off for a walk as soon as Mrs. Cross had gone to sleep. Her clothes were all new, bought by Mrs. Cross against Azura's will, and she felt far less embarrassed and ashamed to be walking down the streets that way.

She was tired, she'd admit that, and she dearly wished the she could go to sleep up she had been tossing and turning for near two hours already. She could not bear to stay inside that room a moment more or there was a chance that she'd lose her sanity. She could barely walk properly, her feet dragging on the ground, but if she tired herself out to the point of complete exhaustion then she should be able to fall asleep rather quickly.

As she stopped at a corner of the street for her moment to cross, she thought back to Godric. She thought back to him many times. Whenever she saw that Vampire woman on the news, Nan, she would be reminded of her first impression of a vampire. He'd been kinder to her than humans had been and she found herself wishing she could meet him again.

The street was clear for a moment and she quickly took that as her moment to jog across to the other side. The only downside to where Mrs. Cross lived was that it seemed to be the equivalent of Vegas for the French. People were always up and moving around, driving their cars or walking along the streets. It seemed like there was always one half of the population up. While one slept, the other partied or worked.

She did not understand her own race sometimes.

A cold hand clapped over her mouth and she was pulled to the side violently and quickly, far too quickly for the movement to be human. The night was warm, so they hands of her assailant should not have been so bitterly chilled. Her hands immediately moved to grab a hold of something to pull herself away, beginning to claw at the hand over her mouth and nose.

"Stop and I'll move my hand." The male voice was unknown to her, smooth and deep and lacking emotional tone. Azura stilled at the cold breath against her ear before she nodded her head. "See now, not so difficult."

Azura spun around to face the man as soon as he hand left her face, letting her look at him. Look _up_ at him. At least 6'6, blond hair and blue eyes made him quite attractive. However, he also look far beyond her years, vampire or not, and she found herself unable to muster up any form of attraction for him.

"What are you doing?" she demanded after a beat, her eyes dropping into a glare. He only smirked in amusement, irritating her further.

"There was a group of vampires following after you. Not wise, stumbling around the streets looking like a drunk child," he sneered at her, causing her glare to intensify. "I recognize your scent, too. I believe we have a…mutual friend."

"Mutual friend? I've only ever met one another vampire-"

"Godric, correct? Nearly a year ago?" Her eyes widened in shock at his words, halting the angered argument that was about to break from her lips. He knew Godric? Was the boy-Vampire there, in the city?

"Yes, nearly a year ago," she confirmed softly, letting her ones defensive posture relax. Night and Day. That was the best way that she could put it when it came to the man before her and the vampire that had saved her life when she was walking one night.

"You think that you would have learned not to walk around at night, little teacup human," he teased harshly, bringing her glare back tenfold. "You never gave him your name." Azura opened her mouth to reply, but there was nothing she could say. He was right. She had walked away before she introduced herself to Godric in return.

"Perhaps if we meet again I will give him my name," she answered back, getting a dark look from the vampire. He didn't seem entirely displeased by her answer, more amused than anything, but she could also tell that he too had wanted to know her name in some way. She didn't know what relationship existed between the two vampires, but it was something personal if this man knew so much about Godric, and had seen him the same night she had met him.

"Well, if I'm not being stalked by vampires anymore, I'm going home. Thank you for saving me," she trailed off, looking to him once more as she made her way to exit the alley. He smirked in return, the darkness of the shadows making it look deadly and sadistic.

"Perhaps if we meet again, I'll tell you my name."

Azura laughed, she couldn't help herself, as he said this and found her head nodding along in agreement. "Perhaps."

By the time she had gotten back to the home she shared with Mrs. Cross, she could barely keep her feet up and fell into bed, only kicking off her shoes, fully clothed.


	3. The Games We Play

**The Game We Play**

Azura would admit, she had come to the point where she would often walk around at night just because she was living with the hope that perhaps she might run into Godric himself or maybe even his friend again. It was foolish, stupid and many would probably even say suicidal, but she couldn't bear to miss a chance to meet them again. They were peculiar, especially Godric. His friend seemed more the type of person to be a 'vampire' with his dark smirks and sadistic eyes. Godric was kind, someone that would be the last one she would expect to be a blood thirsty creature of the night.

She found herself thinking over and over again about when he had saved her life and began to get frustrated when she wasn't able to remember everything she wanted to. She hated that, barely over a year prior, her life had been saved and she was having trouble remembering the face of her saviour. Greenish blue eyes-that she knew for sure-but did he have high cheek bones? Was his hair light or dark brown?

Letting out a soft sigh, Azura looked up at the sky when the heavens rumbled, thunder echoing in the distance. The storm was going to be getting closer and closer, soon it would be over the city. The rain hadn't started yet, so when the rain hit the buildings it was only going to be a matter of time. Azura looked back the way that she had come, debating. Should she turn and go home before the rain comes, or keep walking to finish her lap of the area and get home at the same time she usually would.

"Not yet," she mumbled to herself, turning to continue on in the direction that she was heading.

It was hard to live in a city filled with people that only spoke ill of vampires, while she was curious about them and wished to meet her only two vampires again. She had never told anyone about Godric or his friend, and she never would, because that would make her an enemy to humankind. Those that were friends with vampires-or even those that only associated with the dead-were considered filth and were often disowned, beaten and even killed.

Azura feared what may come to pass should she reveal her feelings. There was no one out there to protect her, she would be alone to fend off those that tried to harm her.

"Azura?"

The sudden voice caused her entire body to tense for about three seconds, before it registered in her mind that she knew the voice that had spoken her name. She turned to look at one of the doors she had walked passed, belonging to a popular cafe in the area.

"Bonjour, M. Weldon," Azura said, looking into the eyes of her English teacher at school. He was an older man, nearly fifty if she was assuming correctly, and loved to teach English with a passion. The students in his class all loved having him as a teacher because he joked around more than some of their peers did.

"Miss. Bellerose, what are you doing out so late? I know that there is no school tomorrow, but-"

"It's dangerous?" she finished, interrupting him. He looked at her with sympathy; for whatever reason, she did not know. Why would he pity her in any way?

"Azura, are you having troubles in your foster home?"

_What?_

"No!" she quickly denied, looking startled as her blue eyes widened. "That's not it at all. Mrs. Cross is wonderful, truly she is. I felt that I needed some air and I enjoy walking the city. I don't mind the night." The sympathy left his gaze, but he still looked concerned. Azura knew that he didn't like the vampires in the world, as he often pointed out in both English and French. "I am safe, I know it."

"I would be much more at ease if you allowed me to walk you home."

"I'm not going home, though. I have not yet finished my walk. I will see you in class on Monday, au revoir!" she called over her shoulder as she started walking once again, leaving the aging man behind. She could hear his calls of protest, but she was soon swallowed up in the crowds of people that were heading home for the night or going out for a late dinner. The warmer weather tempted people to step out of their homes, even at night when the vampires were awake and moving about.

The quick pace that she suddenly took spurred her into a slightly lighter mood, even with the oncoming storm that must have reached the edge of the city by that time. Her blond hair bobbed around her shoulders, falling away from where she had left it to cover her neck. She quickly rounded the nearest corner to make her way down a side street, cutting her walk shorter but not changing the basic route.

She soon ducked into one of the less known cafes along a side street, smiling to the woman behind the counter as she immediately began to make Azura the same peppermint tea that she ordered every time she went for a walk, every time she came to that café.

"You look happy. Is it because summer is here?" Ms. Karen Olsen asked as she moved about fluidly. She had the grace of a dancer, even though she refused that she had ever danced whenever Azura told her so.

"Perhaps, I just feel very light. It seems the warm weather, though, is one of the only things that can allow people to relax enough to come out at night. They almost forget those fears they have of vampires," Azura commented as she came to stand at the counter, out of the way of patrons who may wish to order, and began to speak in hushed tones to Karen.

"Almost eighteen years old and you already sound like a college student. Oh! Have you had any offers?" Karen asked suddenly, causing the other to smile.

"Not yet, they won't be sending those out for a little bit longer." Karen placed the green tinged tea before the younger woman, smiling as she did so. "And I am not so smart yet-"

"Modesty, modesty," Karen interrupted as she waved her hand. "You're the top of your class, in the honour roll and I just _know_ that you'll get that scholarship you've been waiting for. Mrs. Cross must be so proud of you, little one." Karen shook Azura's hair and caused her to back away.

"I am taller than you, Karen. I am no longer a little one." A fond smile came to the other woman's lips as she nodded her head in agreement. "I am slightly nervous, though, about if I decide to move away for college."

"Oh? Homesick?"

"No," she said softly, looking down at her tea as she leaned her arms on the counter. She thought of Godric, and the blonde vampire that knew him, and wondered if she would miss them the moment that she moved away. How strange it was, to never be able to get someone out of your head after only on impression. And both of the meetings were on less than good circumstances. "I feel I may miss something, something important."

Karen looked at the girl before her, so smart and innocent for someone like her. Azura had told her of some of the homes that she had lived in, many of them in very bad places that she wished never to have to think of again. She couldn't understand how it was that she could still be so gentle and loving toward almost everything—even the dead that walked among people—after the terrifying life that she had led prior to moving in with Mrs. Cross.

"Perhaps something's waiting for you there," she suggested, finally getting Azura to look up at her. She didn't seem upset, per say, but she had clearly been thinking on something for a long time.

Azura soon chance the subject, moving to sit on one of the stools as she sipped at her tea and listened to Karen tell her stories about some of the regulars that came in. Azura had met many of them and laughed along with the other woman as she listened to the antics of her fellow patrons. She felt her heart lighten as the worries of leaving were left behind, her happiness returning to her as though it had never left. Karen was relieve to see that she was smiling again and not dwelling on whatever thoughts were disturbing her this time.

"I should be getting home before the rain catches up," Azura finally mumbled softly as she looked over to the glass door. There were few people on the streets by then and most of the people in the café had left as well.

"Be careful, sweety, it can be dangerous out there. I know that you don't mind vampires, but that doesn't take away the fact that people have been murdered by them. I don't want to see you dead on the news tomorrow morning," Karen said in all seriousness, making Azura nod her head and give the woman a quick hug of reassurance.

"I'll be here again tomorrow after school, I need to study for my tests," she whispered in the café owner's ear before she turned and left the small rented space. The moisture was thick in the air by then and it made Azura's steps hurried as she tried to make her way back toward her home without getting soaked to the bone.

She had barely even made it a block before the clouds began an all-out downpour. Taking refuge under the awning of a store front, she pulled the wet strands of her hair away from her face and wiped at her soaked skin. A man jogged passed with an umbrella over his head, quickly making his way home with his briefcase tucked to his chest to best keep it dry.

"It appears you could use a hand."

The voice took Azura by surprise, looking back in the direction that she had come. It was there Godric stood, still in the rain but with an umbrella over his head that kept him mostly dry. The hems of his dark slacks appeared to have gotten splashed but he looked otherwise unaffected. She couldn't stop her heart from beginning to race as she looked at him in the dim light provided by the street lamps.

He has high cheekbones, she realized. And his hair seemed to be a medium hue of brown.

"Saving me again, I see. You see to enjoy playing the hero," she said with a soft smile on her face. He returned the smile, though he didn't comment on her words.

"Come, before you catch a cold. I'll escort you home; it's not safe out here so late and all alone." She nodded her head and stepped out from the awning, the rain own momentarily brushing her skin before she stepped under the safety of Godric's dark grey umbrella. She felt no warmth from him, as she could have should she have been standing next to a human man, but instead of gave of an cold air that only made her think of him all the more as a man frozen in time.

"I don't live far from here, a couple blocks in this direction. Thank you for offering."

"It's a pleasure," he replied, nearly causing her to blush. He had a wonderful accent, but it was nearly impossible to trace. She found herself loving its sound, after hearing only French and American accents for so long it was nice to have something else to listen to. There were so many things about Godric that were just so refreshing. "If I may point out, it appears that you know my name but I still have yet to learn yours."

"Azura Bellerose," she introduced at last. Two years after they had met and he finally knew her name. She offered her hand to him, making sure that it was the one that he could shake without having to switch his hold on the umbrella. Godric took her hand in his, but instead of shaking it he brought it to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

A shiver ran along her spine at the romantic gesture, and it was not from the icy feeling of his skin. That, in fact, was quite refreshing. It kept her grounded, helped her to remain herself as she finally got to meet him again.

The rain continued to pound down on the umbrella, falling around them and splashing their feet with water as it bounced off the puddles. She felt reluctant to pull her hand back from his grip, faintly noticing that he didn't seem ready to release her hand, either. They resumed their pace once more, stepping around large puddles that had collected in recessed areas of the pavement.

"Do you live around here?" she asked suddenly, thinking back to his accent once more. It wasn't French, that was for sure. Was he English, perhaps?

"I live in Dallas, actually," he answered honestly, looking over to see her surprised look. His lips quirked up in amusement at the shock on her face before he looked forward again. Azura jumped over the puddle of water that was before her, momentarily moving out from under the umbrella.

"If you live all the way over there then why are you here?" she asked, her innocent curiosity only allowing the smile to remain on his face. He didn't mind the questions, he found her curiosity about his life to be cute and felt a sort of affection for it.

"Work. There are many different vampires in this city that I work with," Godric explained easily, trying not to get into deep detail. He didn't wish to drag her into all of the drama that came with his life as a Sheriff; she didn't need to know about Vampire laws and politics, either. They didn't even interest him. "I see you still have the habit of walking around so late at night."

"Well, how else was I going to see you again if you weren't there to come and save me from the rain?" She smiled back at him so brightly that he wondered briefly if she had forgotten that he was a vampire. No, that was not the case. She knew exactly what he was; she just didn't mind nor care.

"Well, I am honoured to save you from the rain." A blush warmed her cheeks as she looked away from him and out into the falling rain, her hands slipping into the pockets of her pants. She could still feel the lingering cold from his hand and lips. "You have grown much since I last saw you," Godric continued a moment later, drawing her attention again. Her cheeks still held a faint rose colour but she wasn't avoiding his eyes anymore.

"I was only sixteen when I met you. I'll be eighteen in about six months," she explained. Her eyes stayed on his face as she spoke, gauging his reaction to her words. He didn't show any kind of shock or surprise when she told him her age, but he nodded his head along to show that he actually was listening to her.

She gasped in surprise when he suddenly slipped an arm around her waist and picked her up in one swift, simple gesture. She was pulled against his form and spun away from where she was walking, her feet coming clean off the ground. Her wide blue eyes looked down into his green ones, one of her arms having wrapped around his neck in reaction to suddenly losing her footing.

"You should watch where you are walking more carefully, Miss. Bellerose," he whispered softly, drawing her confusion to the surface. She looked back to where she had been walking to see a deep pothole in the pavement that was masked by the rain water that had filled it up and gave off the impression of a shallow puddle.

She looked back over to him again, realizing immediately that she was still wrapped in his arm with her own around his neck. She could feel the entirety of his cold form against her, pressed to her chest and beneath her hands. A smile broke out over her lips before she could stop herself, looking down at him. It felt like she was in one of those old romance movies.

"Just Azura, please," she whispered back at last, leaning down to press a kiss against his cheek, just as she had two years prior. Godric's grip on her waist loosened enough to slide her down his body and allow her feet to touch the wet ground again. The sudden change in level brought her lips to the corner of his jaw instead, making the gesture appear to be more than a thank you.

Godric's arm remained around her waist for the last stretch of walk to her home, waiting at the steps of the home before she finally slipped inside. She immediately looked out the window of her bedroom to where he was when she got to her room, seeing that he was walking back the way they had come at a steady pace. Her heart jumped in her chest when he turned to look back once. She wasn't sure whether he knew that she was there or not, but she found herself hoping that he did.

* * *

**And they meet again! I hope everyone liked it, there will be more of him in the next chapter as well, I assure you. Eric will be back again, too, I swear. Eric's yummy and all, but...there's just something about Godric ;)**


	4. Draw Me Eternity

**Draw Me Eternity**

Azura sat at the desk in her room, leaning back in her chair with her head hanging back. A cold cloth covered her forehead and eyes, blocking out the world. She had been listening to music before, but when her head started to hurt badly she didn't think that she could stand to continue. The images that had danced along behind her eyes were still fresh but she still couldn't bring herself to understand what they were. The only thing that was different this time was that it was very bright; blues and yellows, pale greens and vibrant reds. She didn't know what to make of it.

"Are you hurt?"

The voice caused her to vault up in her chair, nearly falling out of it, and the face cloth to fly off and land on the floor. She looked over to the window at her left in shock, not expecting to hear a voice coming from outside of it. And yet, there he was.

"Godric!" she gasped out in surprise, her hand moving to her heart as it raced within her chest. He sat on her window ledge calmly, wearing a pair of white linen pants and a soft grey shirt. It had only been three days since she had seen him and yet it was still a thrill to see him once again; an occurrence that sent a jolt through her whole system.

"I apologize for startling you, Azura," he said calmly, a faint smile gracing his features. To most he would have looked like a very sad man, someone that looked tired and worn down. Azura, however, could see that there was a fire inside of him that just needed to be awakened first, something that could push him to continue. "Is something wrong?"

"Just a headache," she assured as she picked the facecloth up from her homework and placed it in the bowl of cold water that sat on her bookshelf to the side, away from her projects to keep them safe before she handed them in. "Uhm…would you like to come in?" she invited hesitantly, watching the light enter his eyes before he swung his legs over the windowsill and then he was standing in her room.

"Exams?" he asked after a moment, his eyes flicking over to her desk. She winced at the thought of having to study more and leaned over to slam the books closed, turning back to Godric with a smile on her face. A soft chuckle vibrated through his chest at the action, stepping up to look at the cover of the book.

"The arts?" he asked softly, surprised to see an art history text book sitting on the large desk.

"Yes, I love learning about ancient time arts. People don't seem to realize how much the arts affect our everyday lives as well or how we have grown over the years. Roman arches, for example. They're everywhere," she explained. Godric was mesmerized by the passionate look that came to her face as she spoke of her studies. When she saw him looking at her, smiling gently, she blushed and looked away. "Sorry, I get carried away sometimes. You must know all of this already."

"No, don't apologize. You have a strong passion for your studies. I respect that," he assured in a silky tone. His cold fingers slipped beneath her chin and lifted her chin up so that she could meet his eyes.

"Blue," she whispered suddenly, catching him by surprise.

"Pardon?"

"Your eyes," she elaborated. "The last time I saw you they were very green, but they are more blue tonight." She leaned closer to him then, looking into his eyes as she inspected them. The flecks of green were still there, circling his pupil, but the blue just stood out so much more. She found it mesmerizing. She didn't even realise that Godric was looking over her blue eyes as well, seeing that they were a very light shade with dark blue and grey specks throughout.

"You have very beautiful eyes," he replied softly, watching as her eyes focused again and she realized how close she was to his face, just staring into his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"

Godric's hand came to the base of her skull, the movement too fast for a human to notice immediately. By the time she realized that his cool touch was beneath her hair and against her neck he was already pulling her forward. His cold lips caressed hers so suddenly that she was left frozen in surprise, the action completely unsuspecting. The touch was so brief that Azura was left wanting more, her body leaning toward him as she sought his touch again. He didn't move away as her lips pressed to his once, twice, before he finally pressed forward on the third kiss and kept her there with his hand on the back of her skull.

It wasn't a hungry kiss, they didn't fight against one another for dominance or try to strip the another of their clothing. It was testing new ground, the kiss of new romance and old feelings that had once been laid to rest. Azura had never felt such a way before and Godric had never thought he would feel that way ever again.

Azura soon pulled back, her eyes remaining closed as her lips tingled with the chill lingering behind. Such a pleasant chill. It seemed like the coolness of his skin had fought off her headache flawlessly. When she finally opened her eyes she was smiling again, meeting his blue eyes with her own. His hand slipped down from her neck to the small of her back, an affectionate and comforting gesture.

"You have school tomorrow, correct?" Godric asked in a hushed voice, almost as though speaking too loudly would break the moment between them.

"Yes, my first exam is tomorrow."

Her eyes were questioning before she came to realize why he had brought it up.

"You should rest; it is late."

"I suppose," she agreed in a wistful tone. "Stay for a while longer, please?" she asked quickly when he rose to his feet, his hand sliding along her back as he drew it away from her. He paused before he could turn and looked down at her again, seeing the innocence in her eyes and nodded his head. She was already dressed in shorts and a shirt for bed, so all she had to do was turn off her lights before she slipped beneath the duvet over her bed.

Godric slipped his shoes off beside the bed and moved over to lie beside her, atop of the covers. He watched as she curled up on her side, facing him, and fell still. He smiled down at her through the darkness of the room as he leaned his head on his hand, his elbow sinking into her pillows, and watching her face as it calmed and showed the sleep as it took over. Her heart slowed down to a calm resting pace and he knew immediately that he would remain until he was forced to leave at sunrise.

He would be leaving within the week to return to Dallas. He had wished to ask her to come back with him, but he knew that she couldn't leave her studies behind. There were several colleges and universities that she could attend but they were not known for their arts programs. To take away her ability to do what she loved would not be worth having her in Dallas with him. She wouldn't be the same.

So, he would wait.

It was the early hours of the morning when she began to fuss about in her sleep, stirring and rolling. Her hands kept moving up to her head, along her temples and around her eyes. She was fighting against another headache; even in her sleep she didn't seem to be able to escape them.

Godric moved up to her cautiously, having kept a small distance between them, and gently slipped one of his arms beneath her head and drew her head up to rest on his shoulder. His other, free hand laid flat on her forehead to try and fight away the headache with his cold skin. She must not have liked taking the medicine that was used by the modern era and instead tried to use cold to get rid of it.

Her entire body was warm, more so than a human's should, and she curled herself against him so suddenly that he was shocked for a moment. Her arms wrapped around his waist and pressed herself against him as best she could with the duvet between them. Holding her throughout the remaining hours of the night was something that he did gladly, running his hand through her loose blonde hair and revelling in the soft feel of it. She must have showered only hours before.

When he looked to her bedside clock and saw that it was less than an hour before sunrise he knew that he would need to get back to the hotel that he was staying at before he was too late. Azura had a strong hold on him even for a sleeping human and it only made it harder for him to leave, but he was soon pulling his shoes back on and leaning over her bed to press a soft kiss to her forehead as a delayed goodnight gesture.

"I'll return," he promised to the sleeping woman before he slipped away silently and departed through her window just as he had when he came to her hours prior.

Azura woke alone to the sound of her alarm going off, groggily looking around herself for a moment before she was awake enough to reach over and turn it off. Rising up and pushing her duvet aside, she looked around the steadily lightening room. Of course he would have had to leave at some time through the night. She didn't even know how long he had stayed after she had fallen asleep.

She hurriedly moved over to her bookshelf and pulled off a thick black book, blank on the front and side of any title and flipped it open to a clear page. She nestled down into her bed again, a pencil in her hand, and began to sketch away. She couldn't get a defined enough drawing since she was not looking at him, but she was able to inspect him enough the night before to know the details needed.

She spent a good half-hour making the rough work of his face; high cheek bones, calm eyes and thin lips. The time that she should have spent doing any last minute studying was used up on the quick, but fairly realistic drawing of the man that had stolen her first kiss. As well as her second, third and fourth. She couldn't stop the smile that came to her lips and could not make it go away as she finished up the details that she could. She had that same grin on her features as she was getting ready for school, pulling on her uniform and doing her hair up quickly.

School was not something that she enjoyed but it was something that she did without complaint and very easily. She never really had to concentrate hard on something to understand it and her teachers often thought she may have some type of eidetic memory that allowed her to remember things in her mind more easily. An excuse, that's what it was. They just didn't think that someone could just remember things easily.

"Good luck, dear!" Mrs. Cross called from the kitchen when she heard Azura stop at the front door to pull on her shoes.

"Merci, bonne journée!"

The streets were particularly dead at that time of the day, those that were awake still only getting ready for the day. Walking to school each day meant that she had to get up quite a bit earlier than everyone else but she didn't mind. It was her time to think and be alone. Her nightly walks even had more people around so that didn't quite count.

Karen Olsen was already in the café when she arrived, no other customers there at that time, and was making her a tea and some toast to eat before her exam.

"Good morning, Azura," she greeted as soon as she heard the door open; she only looked back when the teenager didn't answer immediately. "What's wrong?"

"What's your opinion on vampires? Truly?" Azura asked suddenly, placing her bag on a chair at one of the tables to relieve her should of its weight. Karen looked taken aback at the sudden question, not expecting that to be the first thing that Azura asked her that morning. She had always been a very inquisitive girl but they hadn't strayed to the topic of the undead overly often.

"Vampires? Whatever for?"

"I…I met one," she answered in a soft voice, looking at the tiled floor of the café. Karen didn't say anything, only looked at the young girl in shock.

She was finally able to ask in a stuttering voice, "When was this?"

"Two years ago, and then I met another one year ago. They both saved my life," she began, taking a seat at the front counter as Karen stopped what she was doing to give all attention to the younger woman. "I was walking around, avoiding my foster parents at the time, when a vampire stopped me from walking out onto the street and getting hit; his name was Godric. A year later I was saved by a friend of his when he noticed a group of vampires following me about. The other night, when I had to get home because of the rain? I ran into him again."

"Which him?"

"Godric. He found me under an awning when the rain started and offered to walk me home and let me use his umbrella. He came to my house last night-"

"What?" Karen demanded, her eyes widening as she leaned forward on the counter. "Please do not tell me that you invited him in, Azura? What about Mrs. Cross? He could hurt her-"

"He would not do that," she interrupted fluently, "he's very kind. When I first met him I did not know that he was a vampire at all until I felt how cold his hands were. He's very kind and he saved my life. Besides, he does not live here. He's only here on work."

"Azura-"

"Do you fear them? Do you think that they will harm us? Are you like all of those people out there that refuse to even _say_ vampire?" Azura sounded broken, upset, as she looked to her friend for help. Karen opened her mouth to speak, but found that she could not. The words that she wanted to tell Azura would not come, because she truly didn't know what to say to make her feel better.

"I have never met a vampire, Azura. I cannot give you an accurate answer. Please, don't be upset. I don't hate you or judge you." The words seemed to help the teenager just slightly, bringing the light back to her eyes. "What do you feel for this vampire, Godric?"

"He saved me and he actually takes the time to talk to me. Last night he listened to me babble on about my art studies," she admitted with a blush coming to her cheeks. A smile had returned to her lips as she looked up to Karen with shy eyes. "He kissed me."

Karen was silent again, shocked into a mute state as she looked to the blushing girl across from her. She was so adorable and innocent but she was also growing up. She had told Karen of cute boys at her school before but she had never actually shown any kind of interest. With this boy, Godric, she was actually blushing and stuttering over herself bashfully.

"Oh, dear."

**Sorry, no Eric in this chapter but he has not been forgotten. This story isn't centered around him as it is. I'm thinking of writing a Godric/OC/Eric story as well, though, and I'd love to hear what you guys think of that idea. Should I go for it? **

**Anyway, I've already got the next chapter going so it'll be along soon. Please review, feedback is my motivation! :)**


	5. To Past To Present

**To Past; To Present**

Karen watched Azura as she sat at one of the tables of the café, her books open on the table and a notebook in her lap that she was scrawling notes into at a rapid rate. She knew without having to look that it was all in French. She always hated having to write in English because she had more trouble with that than anything else that had to do with the language. She could speak it perfectly fine, aside from her thick accent, and could even read it nearly flawlessly, but she was hopeless when it came to writing things down.

Her hand moved across the paper it was hard to imagine how neat her writing actually was. She had been writing in cursive for so long that it was flawless by now. It was also amazing that she was still only in high school when she had the brains for her to be out of college already.

The café owner quickly finished the tea that the teenager had ordered and made her way over to Azura's table, gaining the blonde's attention nearly immediately. Her immaculate writing was nearly illegible because of how small she had written it out on the page, and there was the fact that Karen's first language was not French, she almost got a headache from looking at it.

"I don't know how you do it sometimes," she said finally, getting a small laughing from Azura.

"Years of practice. How are your French studies coming along?"

"Hm, they're still coming," she answered easily, causing Azura to reach out and smack her in the leg with her book. She had been telling her the same thing since Azura first found out that she was studying the language to more comfortably live in the full French city. "I surrender!" she cried out, laughing.

"You promised me that you would work harder on it! We always speak in your tongue, why not mine?"

"You talk too fast, I can't understand a single world that you say," she answered back smartly, nearly getting a second smack. She quickly fled back behind the counter when she noticed that there were a group of friends entering and didn't wish to keep them waiting. Azura simply returned back to her studies, flipping to the next page in her book. She had finished her art history exam, but the next day would be her English exam and she was not looking forward to it.

Azura slipped her notebook beneath the textbook that held the English assignments and different units that they had been taught through the year and began to read over it as best she could. It was all in English so it allowed her to practice her reading skills, but she also needed to work on her writing before she failed the exam.

She let out a soft sigh and leaned back in her chair, tapping her pencil against her thumb as she tried to translate her thoughts into English. She knew that she didn't really need to, she had not trouble with speaking it but writing just slipped away whenever she tried.

"Having trouble?"

Jumping in her seat, Azura's head snapped to the left at the sound of the familiar voice. The mysterious blonde vampire that had saved her life sat in the chair of an adjacent table, one long leg crossed over the other with his chin resting on his fist. His hair was shorter than it had been the last time she saw him, no longer passed his shoulders but still fairly long for a man.

"Hello again, teacup human," he greeted, sounding more mocking than pleasant.

"Hello again, giant vampire," Azura returned, watching the mirth dance in his eyes. "Can I help you with something?"

"Godric smelt of you this morning," he replied, causing her to quirk an eyebrow at him. Didn't really beat around the bush, did he?

"Yes, he was over at my house last night-not doing what is going through your head right now," she quickly said, seeing the smirk that started to rise up on his lips at her working. "You Americans, so crude."

"Godric is American."

"Not with that accent," she replied back, "I assume that you're not American, either. You act like it, though. And your accent fits slightly better." He glared at her for a moment, not completely angry at her but still not liking the fact that she seemed to be analyzing him. "Are you in the city with Godric? Or are you the one he is here doing business with?"

"We travelled together," he answered back cautiously. He wasn't aware that Godric had been so open about his affairs with the woman. He was aware that they must have spent much more time with one another with how strong her smell was on him when he returned to the hotel just before sunrise.

"Do I get to know your name now?" Her blue eyes met his own, his slightly more bright than hers were, and held only curiosity.

"Ladies first," he offered, causing her to smile. He was actually quite childish in some ways, dodging her question in such a way but she didn't hold it against him and only nodded her head in understanding. It always seemed the large ones that looked so tough were truly so irresponsible and childish.

"Azura Bellerose," she introduced, "and you are?"

"Eric Northman."

They didn't shake hands as she and Godric had, but continued to eye the other critically. She felt as though he was sizing her up, but it wasn't like she was food, he was making sure that she wasn't going to harm Godric. There was something between the two vampires that she knew her human mind was never going to be able to fully understand.

"Azura?"

The spoken female looked over toward the female voice, seeing Karen standing a couple of feet away from her table with hesitancy in her posture. She was looking between the teen and the man sitting at the table beside her, his attention fully set on Azura. It caused her to feel a lurch in her gut. Karen didn't approve of vampires any more than the others did.

"Who…who's this?"

"Karen Olsen, Eric Northman. Eric is the one that saved me from the vampires," she explained, seeing a small flash of relief appear in Karen's eyes. She had been worrying that the tall blond was Godric. Azura felt the urge to laugh at the thought. She couldn't imagine Eric trying to fit through her window as Godric had the previous night.

"Oh," she stuttered out, ringing her hands on her skirt. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Northman."

The vampire looked like he was repressing the urge to snort and say 'yes, because your fear makes you seem like you're so happy'.

"Azura, shouldn't you be getting back? Mrs. Cross might get worried if you stay out too late," Karen suggested, her eyes urging Azura to take her leave. The blonde woman frowned in disappointment, having been hoping that Karen would be different. She knew that she just wanted her to be safe but she feared for her life with two vampires that had saved her life. Not tried to take it.

"I suppose," she just mumbled out, not feeling up to arguing. Karen wouldn't have dropped it if she had tried to stay and eventually would have gone so far as to say that the café was closing early and she needed to leave. When Azura looked over to Eric he was glaring at the store owner in irritation. He clearly hated people who had such open hate toward his kind.

"I will walk you home," he declared suddenly, rising to his full height. "Godric would be displeased if you got hurt and I had left you alone." Karen squeaked quietly in protest while Azura smiled and rose to begin placing her things in her bag, expressing her gratitude.

"Azura-"

"I'll be by before school tomorrow, bon soir mon ami," Azura dismissed cheerfully, pressing a kiss against the other woman's cheek before she followed Eric from the shop, slipping out passed him when he held the door open for her. Luckily the sky was clear and the night was warm, allowing her to talk home comfortably.

"She irritates me," he said as soon as the door was closed and they were walking away, Azura a few steps ahead as she led the way. His legs were longer but he had a more leisurely stride, she was able to keep up with help from her naturally fast pace.

"I understand. You have good reason," Azura agreed, adjusting the strap on her bag before she ended up dropping it.

"You don't irritate me, why?"

Azura looked over to him with a strange look. How was she supposed to answer that? She didn't know why he wasn't irritated by her, it could be for many reason. "I don't know. Perhaps it's because of Godric. Where is he, by the way?"

"Negotiating," he replied easily.

_Here on work._ Azura thought, remembering what he had said. "He must be very important, then. Do you live with him in Dallas, then?"

"No," Eric answered, his tone suddenly sharp. "Such strange ways you pronounce words, little human." Azura glared at him briefly, remembering when she had first met Godric and he had brought up her pronunciation of vampire.

"Do not mock her accent, Eric. She dislikes it," Godric's voice said softly. Azura didn't jump this time, but quickly stopped her pace and looked back to where Godric was approaching them from the direction they had come. "I am glad to see who two have met one another." He had a soft smile on his lips, a peaceful look that brought warmth to Azura's heart.

"Godric," she greeted with a smile of her own, turning to face him fully. He looked to her and his eyes seemed to brighten more than they had been. Green. They were a stronger tone of green this time. He stepped right up to her, a gesture that she didn't flinch away from but instead lifting her head up to and let him press a kiss against her lips in greeting.

Eric said nothing but stood by the side as he watched his maker carefully, seeing that there was a new lightness in his step that had not been there for many years-centuries even. It was something that he would never admit relieved him.

"I will take her home, Eric," Godric said as he looked over to his progeny. The large blonde nodded his head before he disappeared before Azura's eyes. Godric's arm slipped further around her waist and turned her to walk with him to the home that he had found her in the night before. She leaned against his side without hesitation, still having trouble with understanding how she was feeling. Only three times had she seen this man and she didn't know why it was she felt the way she did.

They spoke in hushed tones as they walked along the streets, Godric's arm never dropping from her waist and her own moving to hook her fingertips into the pocket of his pants closest to her. He switched to French so that she could speak with him more comfortably, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered to her about his past and the several different places that he had lived throughout the years.

"How old are you, anyway?" she asked softly when Mrs. Cross's house came into view.

"Roughly two thousand," he answered back easily, amused when she jerked and looked up at him with wide eyes. She had been expecting a high number because of a vampire's immortality but she was not ready for that.

"That's amazing," she finally gasped out, completely aware of the amusement that was shining in his eyes. "So, you came before Christianity? Mon Dieu, you much be a walking talking history book then." Godric let out a breathy laugh at her wording, shaking his head in amusement. It felt good to laugh again.

"When is your birthday?" Godric asked in response, feeling the need for balance in the conversation.

"January eleventh," she said in easy reply, "I've always considered eleven my lucky number since then. They didn't know how old I was when I was placed in foster care, probably a couple of days only, so they said that my birthday would be the day that I was found in front of the hospital. Apparently, it was a nurse's birthday and that was the only reason they found me out back. I would have been dead by the time someone else had come along."

"You do not know your true age?" Godric asked in surprise.

"No, it's only a couple of days off anyway. Besides, I feel honoured to have the same birthday as the woman who saved me," Azura explained with a brilliant smile that in turn brought a smile back to Godric's lips as well. "She sends me a birthday card every year and I always tell her where I am so we can write."

"She's a very kind woman," he said in a soft tone, happy to see that she was not upset about the topic of conversation. He was curious about if she knew what had happened to result with her in the back alley of a hospital but he didn't want to ask for fear of upsetting or offending her.

"No one knows," she said suddenly, catching him off guard. He looked at her in question and she smiled sadly. "My parents," she elaborated, "no one knows why I was left in the alley or what happened to them. They don't even know who they are. Don't even know who I am, for all they know there's a birth certificate of mine somewhere out there that has my real birthday and name on it."

"That is…tragic," he finally answered after a brief pause between them.

"Perhaps for some people but I like to think of it as my test in life. If I can make it through living in numerous different homes; backgrounds, ethnicities, religions; then I may very well be able to do anything," she joked lightly, smirking faintly to him as they stepped up toward the front door to her temporary home. "Will you come in again tonight?"

Godric was silent for a moment as his eyes lingered on the door behind her, listening carefully. He could hear that the older woman was still awake, moving about in a shuffling motion. "I don't think it best to take the front door; I may startle your foster mother."

"Ah," Azura said in understanding, looking to the side to see a soft glow of light behind the glass coming from the kitchen area. "Window?"

Godric only smirked to her before disappeared from view, nearly startling her. She only shook her head in amusement, though, and turned to head inside. She tried to be as silent as she could but Mrs. Cross was faster than her and turned to look around the corner of the kitchen.

"Azura, I was getting worried!"

"Je suis désole, I got caught up with studying. I'm going to head up to my room now, goodnight!" she said quickly, smiling to the other woman before she made a light jog up the stairs. She didn't even have a chance to grab her doorknob before it opened from the inside and a pale hand pulled her into the darkness. The cold skin was familiar to her as the door closed behind her, the strong skin of Godric's hand caressing her arm.

His other hand tangled in her hair before his lips pressed to hers in the darkness, the strong smell that she remembered from their last encounter surrounding her and making her nearly dizzy. Her arms wrapped around his neck in the next moment, holding onto him tightly. His arms wound around her waist and pulled her flush against him, their lips and bodies moulding together.

The cold didn't bother her, she actually found it to be a beautiful contrast whenever her skin heated up around him, cooling her back down but letting the passion remain.

His hands slid along her back softly, remained over her shirt, and her back arched at the feel. She thought back to the night that she had gone to kiss his cheek but ended up at his jaw and pulled her lips from his, diving toward his throat and pressing light, slow kisses along his jawline. Godric let out an unneeded sigh of breath as his hand moved up to the base of her skull once again, pulling her closer to his flesh.

She truly had no idea what she was doing to him.

**This mini make-out session should be enough of an apology, no? I'm sorry for taking so long! I've got the next chapter finished, though, so all I need to do is edit it and it'll be out soon, more than likely today. I promise, if not today then tomorrow! Please review, I miss my reviews… :)**

**Also, for those who commented on my Godric/OC/Eric, Godric would be the MAIN guy. It won't be threesomes or anything like that-those make me uncomfortable to even read, let alone right-they would just both love her. Godric would be the main love with Eric coming in after. I mean, wouldn't the maker want to share with the progeny? In the story, also, there would be much darker themes than the Godric of the show, since it wouldn't be based on that time line completely(kind of like this one). Okay, my rant is done, I swear! He would act more like the Godric from Eric's nightmare, urging him to bite Sookie ;). That was a great shot, finally got to see his fangs. Okay, now I'm done!**


	6. English Tongue

**English Tongue**

Azura tried to focus on her studies, but it was hard to keep her concentration when she felt the cold touch of Godric's fingertips ghosting along the back of her neck, moving her hair aside and pressing a light kiss against the warmed skin. She closed her eyes against the feel and let her head fall forward until her chin nearly touched her chest, exposing more skin to his lips. He didn't waste the chance and began pressing kisses up the center that led to her hair, before moving along to meet her ear.

"You are making this impossible," she complained feebly, her voice sounding too shaken from the touches to actually give the impression of annoyance. "Godric," she whined weakly as she tried to hide her jaw from him when his lips continued to move along toward her chin. He seemed to rather enjoy her saying his name as his arm moved to wrap securely around her waist, pulling her toward his chilled body.

She gave up trying to fight him and let her head fall back onto his shoulder, fully exposing her neck to him. Godric's hand tightened on her hip as he inhaled deeply, her scent invading his senses and nearly driving him mad. He wanted to bite her, so badly. The blood scent that came through her skin and the sound of her heart so close was nearly too much for him to control himself.

Before Azura could even realize what had happened, Godric had pushed her down onto the mattress and moved to straddle her hips. His lips attacked hers with such vigour that she was left breathless and grasping at him in blind passion. He was awakening things inside of her that she had never felt before and she barely knew him. Even with the lack of time spent together, she couldn't stop the choked groan that vibrated her chest as he held her face in his hands and pulled her closer to him.

"God-Godric," she gasped out, fighting with breathing and trying to reason with him. "To fast, to fast," she chanted as his lips danced along her neck, her skin tingling with sensations and electricity. "So good, mon Dieu. Si bon," she began to mumble instead, feeling his teeth graze over her artery.

"You make me thirst for you, ma chère, and do nothing to make it so," Godric groaned against her neck, pressing his body down onto hers. Azura squirmed beneath him as her flesh began to heat up quickly, her hands grasping at his shirt, arms, hands and hair. She couldn't keep still; she couldn't decide what to touch, hold and caress. "Je veux te mordre," he growled out, his hands jerking her head to the side to fully expose the side of her throat to him. He dipped back down and ran his tongue along the length of her neck, following the tendon that was pushing against her skin. The taste of her skin spurred him on further, deeper into the lust that was wrapping around his mind. His tongue left a long trail of saliva on her skin that chilled in the exposed air and brought bumps to her flesh, enticing him to lick her again.

"Godric," she groaned loudly now, her voice clear.

"You're going to give her a heart-attack, Godric," a familiar voice said from the other side of the room. Godric stilled in his actions, the voice bringing him back to himself, and brought his attention to the wild thrum of Azura's heart. She was breathing so quickly and erratically that he wondered momentarily if his actions could actually bring her so much pleasure that she would pass out from hyperventilation or die from a failed heart. She didn't seem to notice the voice from her window, but as soon as he stopped licking her throat she went lax beneath him as she was finally granted a reprieve.

"Je suis désolé, Azura," he whispered softly against her throat before straightening up and looking over to where Eric was sitting on the windowsill, looking bored and amused all at once. His eyes darted down to the girl that still lay trapped between Godric's knees, her hands clutching at the front of his shirt and preventing him from leaving and grinned in pleased amusement.

When he looked back up to Godric's eyes, he could easily see the displeasure at Eric's stare and the blonde quickly held his hands up in defence as he dropped from the window in the same action, disappearing from view to avoid his maker's protective side. He had seen it when he was still a young vampire and people tried to get close to him; Godric wasn't fond of sharing his first childe to anyone. Godric turned his attention back to Azura, hearing that her heart was beginning to calm and her breathing was returning to normal.

"Azura, mon ciel, you must release me," he whispered as he leaned back down to press a chaste kiss against her lips. She didn't even realize what he meant at first before she noticed that her hands were holding his shirt in a white knuckle grip. If her nails hadn't put holes in the fabric than it would at least be stretched and wrinkled beyond repair.

"Désole," she whispered, slowly relaxing her fingers and allowing her hands to open. Godric smiled softly as he took her hands in his own and pressed a kiss to each one.

"I must leave for now, mon ciel," he said softly. Her eyes opened to look up at him in a daze, trying to focus back on the real world. "I am needed; I apologize for leaving to suddenly." When he moved to kiss her again, he actually had to force himself away when she responded, parting her lips for him and meeting the tip of his tongue shyly with her own.

"I'll miss you," she whispered, her hands running along his face before her fingers slipped into his hair. "You will return tomorrow, yes?" she asked timidly as he rose from her form and stepped off the bed to allow her freedom. She sat up but didn't rise, watching as he adjusted his clothing to look as though nothing had gone amiss. His shirt, however, had indeed been stretched and Azura blushed in embarrassment.

"I will, I promise."

The next day, Azura found herself able to block out thoughts of Godric only long enough to finish her exam, and not a moment after the last page was finished she was leaning back in her seat with her thoughts drifting to the vampire that had laid upon her the night before, doing things to her body without so much as a touch of anything but hands and lips.

Well, and tongue. Oh, mon Dieu, that tongue.

She found her hand touching her neck before she realized, thinking back to the feel of the tongue as it slipped up her throat. She had to clench her legs together when a ripple of pleasure moved through her body at the thought of it. Trying to distract herself, she began to reread her exam to make sure that there was nothing that she had missed or messed up with. Even if she had been concentrating, she wasn't sure if she would have been able to find all of the mistakes.

She didn't go to Karen's Café that day, and instead raced home to take a cold shower when she found her neck covered in sweat and her skin felt flushed and heated. It helped at first, but her mind was ever plagued with the thoughts of him. Surely this wasn't natural, to feel such an attraction to someone after just meeting them. Not only that, but she had never felt this way before, period. There was no other male out there that was able to make her throb in places that she had never even considered able to feel such a way.

She knew about sex from health class, and she knew about pleasure from what other girls had told her. Experiencing it, however, was something completely new to her.

She was lying back on her bed, far too dazed to study, when night finally fell. Her iPod headphones were in her ears, blocking out the day. The music flowing through the headphones usually helped her to calm down so that she could focus on tasks, but she found that it only gave a beat to her fantasies. Her thighs clenched together and her hands flew up to her hair as she took deep breaths. She whimpered aloud as her mind brought back the feeling of his tongue and teeth on her throat, his hips pressing her down into the mattress, pinning her there and the coolness of his skin that she had only ever felt with one other.

She nearly shrieked when her ankles were suddenly seized in a cold, iron grip, her eyes flying open and her torso lifted from the mattress. Before she could get a clear view, however, the person pulled on her ankles and dragged her down to the edge of her bed. Her headphones were pulled from her ears and her shirt tugged up to just beneath her breasts from sliding along the sheets. Her legs were separated as a hand on either joint was placed on opposite sides of a body, resulting in her thighs pressed to someone else's.

"Azura," Godric growled out as he looked down at her, his eyes locking on the exposed flesh of her stomach. She didn't have any lights on in the room because of her lack of awareness to the late hour, but he could see her perfectly in the darkness. She was already beginning to breathe more heavily, her chest heaving beneath the cover of her school uniform undershirt. The skirt had ridden up to nearly bare her and Godric couldn't resist as he pushed his hips down against hers.

A short gasp of surprise and pleasure left her lips as her back arched.

Azura was keenly aware of the fact that Mrs. Cross was at the hospital for the night for medical tests.

"You came," she finally forced out as she looked up to his silhouette against the street lights. However, she could not draw her mind away from the pressing of hard flesh against her covered heat, only a couple pieces of clothing keeping them apart. The thought of such an act set her body aflame in shame and lust. She was still so young, not yet eighteen and she was already lusting after a man that had walked the earth for over two thousand years.

"Your smell," Godric started, leaning down closer to her and pressing his hardening member against her more firmly. A soft cry left her lips as her hands gripped at the sheets above her head, looking up to where Godric's eyes would be in the darkness. "I can smell your need, Azura," he finally finished, pressing against her harder and inhaling deeply as the smell got even stronger, her body beginning to tense and tremble. This had to be a dream. "Your need for me. Let me help you, let me make those feelings so much _more_."

She nearly sobbed at the words that came from his lips, her mind so muddled she nearly couldn't translate them in her head from English to French, allowing her to fully understand what he was saying to her. His hands found her bare sides, the cold on hot making her jump and arch her back. He hummed his approval as his head dipped down to kiss the hollow of her throat.

"What were you thinking about, mon ciel?" Godric asked, whispering against her flesh. "What made you tremble with want?"

Azura didn't know whether or not to answer the question, she didn't wish to say it aloud but she didn't want him to pull away if she didn't. When his body began to leave hers, forcing her to suffer from the heat of her own body, she cried out.

"You tongue!" she nearly screamed, reaching for him to pull him back. She was surprised when he came into her arms willingly, pushing her down onto the bed. Her legs wrapped around his waist as they remained at the end of the bed, pushed together. There was an initial shock when she realized that she was touching bare skin, her hand splayed on his shoulder blades coming into direct contact with his chilled flesh. He had taken his shirt off; that was why had had pulled away from her.

Godric hummed as he nuzzled against her throat, thinking over her cried confession. "What of my tongue, Azura. When I kiss you?" he asked, catching her mouth in a kiss and licking along the seam of her lips. He pulled away before she had time to respond, speaking again. "Is it the way that I speak to you, Azura? Say your name and demand of you?" She was panting beneath him, her nails scratching quickly healing red welts on his back. "Or could it be when I taste you, devour your very flesh?" he demanded, pressing his hips harshly against hers as his tongue slid up the entire length of her throat and cheek.

A tremor shook Azura's entire body beneath him, telling him that he had indeed been correct. Had he not known better, he would have thought she had reached an orgasm by that simple lick alone. She was close, but he knew that she had yet to reach that highest feeling of satisfaction just yet.

"Chère, I crave you. Your body, your blood, your mind and soul. Let me have you, mon ciel," Godric nearly begged as his hands slid up along her sides, over her ribs and pressed to her breasts.

"Yes," she sighed out, her head falling back at the feeling of his hands. "Oui, Godric. Je t'appartient!" she cried out. Godric couldn't stop his fangs from dropping at her words, a complete surrender to him that made his blood sing, calling for hers. Without much thought to his actions, his hands tore the shirt she was wearing clean down the center, exposing her black bra clad chest. He wanted to bite her, but he knew that the place she lived was barely tolerant to vampires and would not subject her to hatred by having revealing bite marks on her neck.

"I am going to bite you," he warned, seeing her eyes open as she looked up to him. She understood and made no objections. "I will not bite your neck," he added on, seeing realization dawn on her and she nodded her head. For the second time, he moved too quickly for her to register immediately and soon had her head on her pillow once again and her skirt nearly thrown out her window; she knew the zipper would be broken.

"What-" she gasped, looking down at him. She was wearing only her black, feminine boy shorts underwear, the only things that was deemed 'sexy' that she would wear. Anyone tried to get her to wear a thong, she would injure them. "Godric," she started, unsure now that he was resting his cheek against her navel, just above her panties.

"Shh, relax," he whispered, his hands caressing her thighs. She could not clearly see him, but knew that he would be smiling and let herself relax back. Keeping her eyes on him, she lifted her body up on her elbows and looked down at him. The pleasure returned full force when she felt his tongue trace along the top hem of her panties before doing the same with the hem at her left leg. She forgot about the fact that his face was inches from her core and collapsed to her pillows, panting again.

He sucked on the flesh of her thighs, stroking with his hands but never touching her center, only the skin around her underwear. She wondered briefly he was actually going to bite her or had changed his mind when she felt the millisecond stab of pain when he bit into the inside of her thigh deeply, tearing open the artery there. He didn't let a single drop escape his lips, sucking hard as her blood rushed into his mouth, hot and thick.

Azura groaned above his head, her entire body tensing up. Keeping one hand holding her thigh in place, he moved his other hand and placed it palm flat over her heated center. She jolted in response, nearly detaching his lips from her thigh, but he was sucking hard enough that he stayed in place. Pressing the ball of his palm forward, she choked on a sob of pleasure and fisted her hands in her hair in sexual frustration.

Wanting her to still be active, he stopped sucking on her thigh and sliced the tip of his tongue on his fang before he began to lav it over the injury, stopping the blood flow nearly immediately. He would bite there again before the night was through; he would leave his mark on her.

She was still trembling as he slid back up her body, feeling the cotton material of her bra against his chest. His hands came up to frame her face gently, waiting for her to calm down some from the rush of the bite. Kisses were showered along her face as she heaved for air, her hands moving to rest on his hips, trying to hold onto him in some way but still too weak to lift her arms much of anywhere. The kisses were light and made her stomach flutter and the coolness of his skin against her gave her a wonderful relief from the heat that had flooded her body.

A fierce, striking pain suddenly rushed through her head, awakening her from the dream that she had been pulled into. Her hands clasped at her hair tightly as she rolled onto her side in pain, trying to force away the images that danced around her head without any way for her to decipher them. She whimpered in pain as dark blue shadows darted across her retinas before morphing into blacks, greys and whites. She could make out female figures and male figures, but she had no idea who or what they were.

"Azura?" a voice asked softly as cold hands gently laid over hers. She immediately moved her hands from her hand and clasped the colder hands in her own, pulling them down to her temples to try and provide some relief from the feeling of acid sloshing around inside her skull. "What ails you?"

"My head," she groaned softly, taking solace in the cold feel of his flesh. "It hurts, the images won't go away." His knuckles began to stroke along her temples soothingly, trying to help her in some way. Azura was shifted around gently to see rest with the coldness surrounding her blissfully, peacefully sending her deeper into sleep as the pain reseeded.

**Translations: **

**(French to **_**English**_**)**

**Mon cher – **_**my dear**_

**Si bon – **_**so good**_

**Je veux te mordre – **_**I want to bite you**_

**Je suis d****é****sol****é**** – **_**I am sorry**_

**Mon ciel – **_**my sky**_

**D****é****sole – **_**sorry**_

**Mon Dieu – **_**my God**_

**Ch****è****re – **_**dear**_

**Oui – **_**yes**_

**Je vous appartient – **_**I belong to you**_

** Two steamy scenes in one chapter, how about that? More to come, too ;)**

**For those you haven't figured it out, you'll find out soon why Godric calls her 'mon ciel' or my sky.**

**Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews! I'm missing Godric on the show, but it's so much more fun to imagine him in the way of the story :P**

**I'll have the next chapter out as soon as I can, I've already started on it so the wait will not be long, I promise! Please, keep up the reviews! And if you have any questions, I'll be sure to answer them(unless is gives something away).**


	7. A Treasure Among Riches

**A treasure Among Riches**

Godric leaned back against the headboard of Azura's bed as he looked down at her sleeping face, her head resting against his stomach as she half laid on his lap, one arm on either side of his hips. He stroked along her temples to try and fight away the headache as he had the first night he stayed, wondering what had caused the trouble in the first place. When he had arrived at her window, noticing that the woman she lived with was absent, he was at first pleasantly surprised as he watched her caught in the throes of a passionate dream. Then, like the drop of a coin, she screamed and was curling herself up in pain on her side.

Nearly an hour of sitting there, stroking her face and hair gently, she finally began to stir from her dreamless sleep. Her hands gripped at the material of his pants, seeking something to hold onto, and she winced at the pain that was still present in her head. When her eyes locked with his he watched in hidden amusement as a dark blush rose to her cheeks in the dark. She was probably under the assumption that he could not see, but his eyesight was excellent in the dark.

"Are you feeling well?" he asked gently, not wanting to speak too loudly and hurt her head more.

"Ice," she muttered to herself and began to draw away from him. "I need ice." Godric allowed her to slip away from him, immediately appearing at her side again once she was standing beside the bed. He allowed her to walk on her own down to the kitchen of the small home, lingering close by as a silent guardian. She seemed to know exactly what to do as she got a freezer bag and cloth, filled the bag with ice before wrapping it in the cloth and fell to sit at the table with the ice on top of her head.

"Please, Azura, explain to me what happened," he asked carefully, moving to sit in the place beside her. She looked up to him carefully, her eyes slightly red and her face still pale. "There is something about you that is different isn't there, mon ciel?" he asked quietly, seeing in her hesitancy that it was not a subject that she wished to breach.

"I am different," she admitted in a timid voice, adjusting the ice on top of her head. "It started when I was about eight. At first I used to just think they were dreams, but then I would see things that reminded me of them. I was twelve when I started seeing things when I was awake, and it _hurts_. I don't know what I'm seeing most of the time, but sometimes I can pick out faces, or buildings; things that let me know where it is that I'm seeing."

"Visions?" Godric asked in quiet surprise.

"If you can call it that," she replied quietly, leaning back in her seat and groaning quietly. "It feels like someone fills my skull with acid whenever I have one like that. And I can't even get anything from it to tell me what I'm seeing-"

Godric placed a hand on her leg gently when she began to stutter out her words, her voice rising in pitch and her hands shaking. The affect was nearly instantaneous as she relaxed under his hold, taking a deep breath and looking him in the eye.

"There's more than just vampires in this world, isn't there?" she finally asked, refusing to be the first to look away. Godric's eyes widened just a fraction, clearly surprised and taken off guard from the question. He had never met someone that so quickly suspected that there were others besides vampires that lived among humans. Then again, Azura herself had proof that vampires were not the only 'abnormal' things out there.

"There is; I have a strong feeling that your blood is not entirely human," Godric answered quietly after a single heartbeat of silence. Azura nodded numbly as her hand moved to cover her mouth, an action that she often did when she was trying to think something over. Godric watched her eyes as she began to think over what he had said, probably wondering just _what_ is was that was out there.

"I don't want to know about everything, but do you know what_ I_ am?" she finally decided on asking, lowering her hand to lean her chin on it, biting her cheek in wait.

Godric closed his eyes and shook his head, "At the moment; no." He heard Azura sigh nearly inaudibly and opened his eyes again, meeting her blue ones. "I will find out for you, though. Of that, I promise." Azura couldn't stop herself from smiling, seeing his own eyes brighten in reply to her upturn of attitude. "These visions, though, how often do they happen? That looked very painful."

"No, not too often. Since I had met you again during the storm I have only had two; this one and one that night you first came to my window." She looked uncomfortable talking about such things, since she had kept them to herself for so long. "I knew they were not normal when they first started, so I've never told another living thing…or, not quite living," she stuttered out, blushing at her own mistake. Godric couldn't help but to smile and lean forward, catching her lips in a kiss before she could continue to babble on.

Azura couldn't supress the moan that came from her chest as the feel of his lips on hers, her mind returning to her dream and the moments leading the Godric's departure the night before. Her mind drifted back to the feel of his tongue, both in reality and what her mind had been able to conjure up. Her body temperature began to rise again, the speed of her heartbeat increasing until Godric was reminded of Eric's warning of a heart attack.

The speed of her heart nearly became a concern and he pulled away from her, letting her gasp in deep intakes of air. He couldn't stop his eyes from darting down to look at her chest briefly, rising in falling heavily with every inward and outward rush of air.

"I…need to shower. A cold shower," she gasped out suddenly, rising to her feet and turning to leave. Godric caught her hand and before she could register what had happened, they were in the bathroom of her home. He caught her lips in another kiss, drawing a started gasp from Azura before she quickly melted into the feeling. Godric began stepping backward and was soon leaning against the glass door of the shower, effectively turning it on _cold_ while he kept Azura wrapped in his arms. In once more quick move, he had them both pushed into the shower and under the ice cold feel of the water falling on their skin.

Azura yelped in surprise, arching against him to try and get away from the cold feel. Godric took advantage of the position and manoeuvred her back against the wall, his lips moving to her throat. He didn't miss the tensing of her entire body as she pressed into him when he licked at a couple of cold drops on her skin.

"G-Godric," she cried out, her hands gripped the wet material of her shirt in a white-knuckle grip as she tried to pull him closer. "Too much, trop, trop," she gasped, one of her hands darting up to twist into his longish hair. She was trembling because of the icy water and the tremendous pleasure that was coursing through her body. It felt like the cold was doing _nothing_ to help her. Any more and she felt she would start to cry.

"Pas assez," Godric growled back, pushing her entire body up against the cold tile with his. Her breath hitched at the feel of him pressed into her, the muscles that covered his entire body so inviting and just commanding her to touch and feel. "It'll never be enough." A sob of frustration left her lips before she could stop it moments before Godric gave in to her silent tugging and pleading and ran his tongue along her throat until he reached her jaw, giving one sharp nip once there.

A cry was pulled from her lips in answer to him, her back arching off the wall and forcing the both of them back under the cold shower spray. In a move that shocked the both of them, Azura took hold his white—and by that time, transparent—shirt and pulled it up to expose his back and stomach. She continued to try and pry if off of him, even though the shirt couldn't move past his arms until he moved them from around her. He didn't hesitate a moment more and stepped back to shuck off the soaked material, letting the water hit his skin directly.

Unlike in her dream, she was able to see him clearly without a shirt on. Her eyes widened as they landed on the exposed tattoos along his arms and collar, looking ancient and tribal. Her hands moved out to touch them robotically, caressing along his cold skin. Godric watched her face intently as some of the blind passion left her eyes and was replaced with awe, clarity beginning to return. Stepping up to him, her body jolting at the icy water, she pressed a kiss against the center of his collar tattoo. Godric was able to turn the handle of the shower to raise the temperature to a warmer level.

She travelled her hands along his arms, tracing her fingers along the jagged lines of one tattoo and on the runes that were on the other. Godric bent to press a kiss against the chilled skin of her forehead, his hands taking a gentle hold on her hips and tugging her toward him to press their wet clothes together. He paused only a moment before his hands began to push her shirt up, exposing her pale skin to his sight and touch.

Stepping back from him, she pulled her over shirt off so that she was left in only her transparent undershirt, showing the black bra that she was wearing beneath. Godric was surprised when the clarity in her eyes didn't disappear as he pressed down for another kiss. For the first time in more years than he could count, her arms wrapped around him and held onto him like he was just a man that deserved to be held.

"If I am pushing you, tell me and I will stop immediately," he assured as he pulled his lips away from hers, seeing the smile that brightened her features. Slipping a hand back along his head, she pulled him down to meet him in another kiss, unable to supress her smile. Godric felt like she had just given him a right to move and wrapped his arms around her, burying his hands in her wet blonde locks. She smiled against his lips and gently took hold of his biceps, holding onto him as they stood beneath the spray of the shower, the water finally warmed.

Neither of them really knew what happened between the kisses they were sharing and suddenly finding themselves cuddled up on the bottom of the shower, warm water continuing to beat down on them steadily. Azura had lost her skirt as well, leaving her in a see through white under shirt and her black undergarments, her fingers tracing along Godric's exposed torso as he showered slow, lingering kisses along her neck and shoulders.

"You know, I don't have any clothes to lend you," she whispered in an amused tone as she looked down at his drenched pants. With his lack of a shirt, she was actually surprised to see the hem of his undergarments visible. He didn't seem the kind to let his pants hang down that far. The water may have played a part in that. "Especially these," she teased as she hooked the end of her index finger in the elastic band of his briefs and pulled them away an inch from his skin before releasing, letting them snap back down.

"I would hope not," Godric teased back, his hand slipping around her thigh so that he could hitch it up onto his hip. Azura snickered in amusement as she leaned forward to catch his lips softly, pulling away again and moving to place another on his chin, the bridge of his nose, his forehead and the top of his head. He sighed blissfully at the feeling, his hand sliding along the slick skin of her exposed leg.

It was a peaceful, calm moment. Every other contact between them had felt desperate and hurried, leaving Azura to feel dazed and unsure of the new territory. She was weary of what was going on, but in this moment, lying on the floor of the shower with Godric, she knew that those feelings inside of her—that he awakened inside of her—were amazing. Azura knew that she needed to follow those feelings.

"You…you said that you were here on business," she said suddenly moving to his her face in his neck. "When do you leave?"

Godric sighed against her shoulder as he held her closer. "I have many responsibilities back home; I'm afraid that I must return to Dallas this weekend," he answered back regretfully. He felt her tense against him and tried to comfort her by pressing her against his body, kissing her shoulder soothingly and beginning to run his fingers through her wet hair.

"I…I'll miss you," she admitted, beginning to trace the rune tattoo's on his arm in a way to distract herself. Godric didn't need to feel her emotions to know her fear; she assumed that after he left he would forget about her and never return.

"I'll come back again, mon ciel, and when I do you will be legally allowed to leave foster care and I will care for you. All depending on what you want to do, of course. I'm sure the Universities here are much more centered on the arts than in Dallas-"

"I want to be with you. I don't care about what education that I get, I'd work at a café-"

"No," Godric interrupted, "You are too bright to be working at a café, mon ciel, you must show the world your brilliance. I won't allow you to hide yourself away when you can be so much to this world," he whispered against her hair, gaining a sigh in answer. "I will always come for you, chère. I am a creature of the night, never to see the sun or daylight sky ever again. Azura, you are the only daytime sky that I need."

Azura felt her eyes burn with tears at his words and clutched him tightly, her arms wrapping around his torso and her face buried in his neck. No one had ever truly said something like that to her; there had been many foster parents that treated her like they were her true parents—some even asked her to call them 'momma' and 'papa' but that was too intimate for her. Throughout the years of different families and homes, no one had ever told her in so many words that she was their life. For a vampire that has lived for two thousand years to tell one that she is the only day he needs, it warms her heart.

"Thank you, Godric," she whispered against his throat, her tears beginning to blend with the water of the shower. Godric just held onto her, not sure exactly what to do, but he enjoyed the feel of her so close to—so dependent upon—him. It had been hundreds of years since he had someone to care for, and he admitted that he missed it. Eric had moved along in his eternal life—taking his own progeny—and that left Godric with an empty place. Azura was still so young and innocent that he felt the need to protect her and hide her away from the rest of the world, but at the same time he wanted to be the one to help her grow and take on everything.

The possessiveness inside of his rose up and claimed him, urging him to mark her and claim her. He couldn't allow her to slip away; he was beginning to regret saying that she shouldn't miss out on University. Inhaling deeply, the water seemed to force her smell more strongly into the air and he had to really strangle his control to remain and prevent his fangs from dropping at the smell.

Azura repressed a gasp when she felt the beginnings of his arousal pressing against her thigh, his hands tightening around her. Her body tensed against her will and it became difficult to keep her mind clear, wanting only to look back at her dream and wonder how much of it would truly happen. Would Godric act that way if something like that ever occurred between them? She couldn't draw herself away from his neck, though, afraid that he may pull away from her if she moved.

To her surprise, however, he used one hand to press down on her lower back, driving her body forward and pressing her against him. He exhaled deeply against her temple, a much _un_needed action on his part. She couldn't stop herself from shivering against his body and holding onto him more tightly. The things that he was able to do to her so easily still left her baffled and slightly fearful.

"Not this night, young one," Godric suddenly whispered, releasing the pressure that he was putting on her back to press her down against his growing arousal, allowing her to back up just slightly. "What were you dreaming about, Azura?" he asked suddenly, not able to see the blush that rose to her face and neck, but he was able to smell the rush of blood against her skin and hear the increase of her heartbeat.

She buried her face more in his neck before mumbling out, "you." Godric's chest rumbled as he growled in contentment, that one simple word making his cold blood sing. His head nudged hers in a new animalistic action, urging her to continue. She drew in on herself at his urging, causing him to still in his actions.

He'd have to try a different approach. "Did I make love to you, mon ciel?" he asked softly, dipping his fingers up her undershirt to stroke along the skin, feeling the small dimples on either side of the base of her spine. She trembled at the touch, arching her back against her will. "Did I kiss you? Hold you in a lovers embrace?"

Godric's body froze when she pulled herself up suddenly, manoeuvring around until she was sitting on his hips, straddling him; he wouldn't stop himself from raising his hands to her thighs. He looked up to her face curiously, wondering what was going through her mind. A blush still stained the skin of her cheeks and neck as she looked down into his eyes quietly, her hands resting on his bare chest with her fingertips grazing his necklace tattoo. The irises were green again, she noticed, and a smile spread her lips.

"You did not make love to me," she finally whispered. Leaning forward, Godric remained completely still as she pressed a kiss against his lips gently. "You kissed me," she breathed against his lips. Her hands trailed down along his stomach to his hips, digging her fingertips into the elastic of his briefs again. "You touched me," she uttered against his throat, nipping at the skin. His hands gripped her thighs tightly, trying to keep himself under control. "You whispered such unbelievable things to me," she whispered so innocently into his ear. Drawing back again, Godric's hands tightened more on her thighs to prevent his body from reaching out for her, she suddenly pulled her shirt up and off to reveal the remainder of her undergarments.

A dark feeling began to lurk inside of Godric as he looked over her body; the hollowness between her ribs and the visibility of her hip bones. He had never taken notice before of how _thin_ she was. All of the times that he had held her he had simply thought she was a naturally thin person. Before his eyes in that moment, he was able to see how terribly she was treated in foster care. There were several old scars on her body that didn't appear to be from normal falls as a child.

"They always took me out of the house as soon as the realized I was being hurt, but that can't erase the injuries that they have already inflicted," she whispered softy, watching his face carefully. Godric's hands finally released her thighs, hoping that he had not bruised her, and lifted to run his fingers along the hollows between her ribs. They were so prominent. Her shoulder bones were standing out as well, and her wrists looked so tiny and frail. "Mrs. Cross has been the best one so far; she tries feeds me well, but I just can't seem to eat it all."

The fear that was stirring inside of her was nearly tangible as he continued his inspection of her body and he quickly moved forward to press a kiss against her chest, above where he could hear her heart pounding. He could feel the steady beat against his lips and found it so soothing to listen to, moving to rest his ear above it instead as his arms wrapped around her torso to pull her up against him.

"You are beautiful, Azura. A treasure that must be protected," he said softly, barely even audible. He was surprised that she was able to hear him and wrapped her arms around his neck and began running one hand along his head, threading his hair through her fingers.

"In my dream, you didn't make love to me; I wish you had."

**French to **_**English:**_

**Mon ciel – **_**My sky**_

**Trop – **_**too much**_

**Pass assez – **_**not enough**_

**Ch****è****re – **_**dear**_

**Does anyone know what's going on with the whole rated-M purge I've been hearing about? What's going on? I'm afraid to write anything more deep than what I have lest they delete my story! Please, if anyone knows whether this is true or not, let me know what's going on. I've heard that people think it's just a scam, but others are REALLY paranoid.**

**I hope you all loved this chapter, and I'll give you the hint that someone many of you want to see will be back in soon! You even got a bit more of a direct background of Azura's while she has been in foster care.**

**Please review, they're always so wonderful to read! :)**


	8. Within the Night and the Day

**Within the Night and the Day**

Azura had to sit on the farthest point of her bed to keep as much distance from where Godric was reclining on her desk chair as she could. With him wearing nothing more than a towel, she feared what she may do, should she be too close to him. The thought of having Godric, with _nothing_ but a towel, within even two yards from her made her blush and look off in the opposite direction. Godric looked nothing but amused as he watched her from his seat, seeing the blush that stained her cheeks and darkened every time she glanced over to him.

"I will not bite, Azura," he called over to her softly, seeing the blood rush up beneath the skin of her neck as the blush continued to grow. He smiled in mirth and repressed a laugh that he knew would only upset her. Teasing was alright, but he knew better than to laugh at her.

"It's not your teeth I'm worried about," she countered back finally. Godric wouldn't help but to let out breathy laughs at that one, causing her to look over to him out of the corner of her eye and smile. She was such a sucker when it came to his laugh, whenever she heard him laugh there was just something inside of her that lifted. She didn't consider herself to be in a dark place, but whenever she heard his laughter there never seemed to be anything wrong in the world at that moment.

"Well, this is a story that I wish to hear."

The voice made Azura repress a shriek and look over to the window in surprise, seeing Eric hunched over in order to fit in it. Godric watched her reaction with amusement before he looked over to his childe, as well as the bag in his hand that carried the clothes he had called and asked him to bring over.

"Hello, Eric," Godric greeted calmly, getting a nod from his progeny before the bag was tossed over to him. Godric glanced over to where Azura was curled up, wearing a long sleeved shirt and sweat pants, staring at Eric hesitantly for a moment before she spoke softly.

"Would you please come in?" she asked meekly. Godric sent Eric a warning look when he saw the smirk that was beginning to rise up to his progeny's lips. Eric didn't stop smirking, but he didn't say anything crude as he usually would have and let himself into her room, standing as a giant over her small frame. Now that Godric had seen what she looked like without clothing, he couldn't help but to notice with the clothing how small she was. The shirt was a thin material and hung on her shoulders, showing the bone that pressed out beneath her skin because of lack of any fat on her body.

"Hello again, _lilla_," Eric greeted, seeing his maker straighten up slightly out of the corner of his eye. Azura looked confused at the word, unable to comprehend Swedish in the slightest. Godric knew exactly what Eric has said, though, and was surprised that he had accepted the small French girl so soon. _Little one._ It was a fairly large compliment and term of endearment for one Eric Northman.

"Salut," she stuttered back, still confused.

Eric looked back to Godric and the older vampire returned the stare calmly. Azura felt suddenly very out of place in the room with them and looked away from their silent conversation. It seemed so intimate and foreign; she didn't know what to make of it. Not wanting to interrupt, the young woman pulled herself off her bed and disappeared into her closet to get changed. She was far too wired to go to sleep after her stunt in the shower so she felt it was time to introduce Karen and Godric. If there was one person that can change someone's beliefs in vampires it would be Godric.

"Azura?" Godric asked suddenly from behind her, watching as she began to pick out pieces of clothing that looked nearly identical to the ones he had first met her in, without the thickness that kept her warm in the winter.

"I want to go for a walk; I can introduce you to Karen," she explained as she pulled a pair of jeans from her shelf and tucked them over her arm. "She's very nice and I'm sure that she'll like you."

"As she liked me?" Eric asked sarcastically. Clearly he still remembered when he had met the woman from the café and had yet to forgive her actions so quickly. Azura pitied him and Karen, because there was no way either would give up on their impressions.

"Let's face it, Eric, you are intimidating," she mocked back. "I'll go change in the bathroom so you two can actually have a _verbal_ conversation. The whole eye contact thing is kind of unsettling." Godric's chuckle followed her out the door, causing the blonde's cheeks to flame in embarrassment. She made sure not to take long in the bathroom, changing into her short sleeved shirt and jeans. It felt good not to be wearing her school uniform; she'd always hated that thing and she knew that she would never like it.

Going out would also prevent anything from happening between her and Godric that she felt she was losing the ability to control.

Her door was open when she stepped from the bathroom, showing that Godric was finished dressing. He was sitting on the end of her bed when she arrived, slipping on the shoes that he had taken off when he first came to her that night and saw her in pain. She smiled in greeting and leaned against the doorway in wait, seeing that Eric was in a stance much the same leaning against the wall beside her window.

"Are you ready?" Godric asked as he looked up to her calmly, offering a small, patient smile.

"Yes, my shoes are down at the door. Would you rather take the window or the door?" she jested, hearing the faint chuckle that came from Eric's direction. Godric smiled calmly and stepped up to follow her down to the front door, Eric doing the same as he continued to smirk. They stepped out onto the front steps while Azura pulled on her shoes, moving out to join them after she had made sure she had her key and locked the door behind her.

"So, I'm not going to find out that you went back to talk with Karen after your meeting, am I? She's still going to be alive and well, right?" Azura teased as she looked over to where Eric was walking on the other side of Godric, hanging back slightly. He faked an offended look and turned his eyes away.

"I am offended that you feel that way," he said in mock shock, causing Azura to hum as though she was thinking and nodding her head, seeing Godric smile at their conversation. It was rare that Eric was civil toward a human, especially one as young and innocent as Azura. The liking that Godric had for Azura, however, would be a strong help for the respect that he was giving the human woman.

"Aw, you're just a softy under that hard exterior, around you?" Azura continued to tease, getting a look from Eric that had her scrambling to hide behind Godric, laughing as the tall man lunged at her with human speed and reflexes. Godric watched with mirth filled eyes as the small, frail human ran away from the large, immortal vampire. Eric kept himself away from her for a long time, playing a game of chase that had her under the assumption that she wasn't in any danger.

As she was running to hide behind Godric again he caught up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her from the ground and drawing and startled shriek from the woman. It was then that he realized why Godric had been giving her concerned looks when he arrived; she was far too light for someone of her age and size. It was as though there wasn't a pound of fat on her body. She was squirming about on his shoulder as he glanced over to his maker, Godric's greenish eyes holding his own as only seriousness filled them. Eric could feel her bones pressing against his arm.

"You evil man, put me down!" Azura cried out as she smacked his back, continuing to squirm on his muscular shoulder.

"Only Godric can save you now," Eric returned, looking his maker before he darted off at vampire speed, getting a startled shriek from the human on his shoulder as she changed herself to wrap her arms around his torso and press her face against his spine, still upside down. She felt a tug on the back of her shirt and before she knew it she was looking up at the night time sky, no buildings obstructing her view. Godric was the only thing in her line of sight, his eyes sparking as he looked down at her flushed face as she heaved for air.

"Please, forgive Eric, he seems to have forgotten the etiquette of how to treat humans," Godric said carefully as he lowered her back down to her feet and brought and hand up to sooth down her windswept hair. Her bright blue eyes were wide and she looked completely shocked and Godric couldn't stop himself from chuckling at her appearance, so dishevelled and dumbfounded. She scowled at the sound as her cheeks flushed darker with embarrassment.

"And you remember your etiquette?" she asked hotly, drawing forth another chuckle from Godric before he could stop it. It was at that moment that Azura realized why it was that she hadn't seen any buildings when looking upward; they were standing on the roof of one of the taller buildings. She gasped in terror when she looked to the right and saw that she was standing right beside the ledge of a four story drop.

Instinctively, she pressed herself closer to the person that resembled strength and protection, clinging to Godric as she continued to look downward with wide, fearful eyes. Godric did not laugh this time, and instead wrapped his arms around her protectively and drew her in close to silently tell her 'I have you' and 'I won't let you fall'. Azura relaxed dramatically once he embraced her, but continued to cling to his form.

"Please, take me to the ground," she gasped out in plea.

"You walk in the day, looking at bright blue skies with the vibrant sun," Godric began, confusing Azura as she looked up to him. He had a calm, wistful smile on his face as he gazed down at her, his eyes catching the distant lights from the building beside them and enhancing the colour of forest green within them. "Have you taken the time to admire the sky that I see?"

Azura blinked her bright blue eyes owlishly before directing them upward, to the darkened sky above them. The moon was half that night, glowing brilliantly and casting a silvery glow where the artificial lights did not reach. Stretching as far as one could see, tiny dots of light disrupted the black blanket of space, giving a peaceful and beautiful image that Azura realized she had never taken the time to truly admire. Her name meaning 'blue sky' suited her well as she had always lived for bright days in the sun; however, to see the night sky and take the time to truly admire it she had found a new understanding and for the people that loved the night so much, vampire and human alike.

"It's magnificent," she breathed out, her hands relaxing until they were no longer clinging to the fabric of Godric's shirt and instead were resting on his sides in a loose embrace.

The awed look on her face was too much for Godric and he swiftly moved in and captured her lips in a kiss, drawing a gasp of surprise from her at the suddenness of it. She didn't hesitate, though, and immediately returned the kiss as her arms moved up to wrap around his neck instead, her fingers playing with the strands of hair at his nape.

She was smiling in contentment when he pulled back, bringing a peaceful smile to his own face in return.

"We should go now, before Eric frightens this friend of yours again," Godric said almost sadly.

She nodded her head as she continued to smile, wrapping her arms around him and shutting her eyes. Her trust was completely with him, but she did not want to see them plummet to the ground on any day. The wind rushed her hair and clothes, giving her sudden chills, before it all stopped and left her hugging the vampire tightly as they stood in the alley beside Karen's café.

"I would never hurt you," Godric whispered in her ear once they were safely on the ground, his hand moving up to stroke along her damp hair. The strands were silky beneath his palm, making him wish that he could continue to caress them. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her from the alley, to where they stood directly in front of her friend's café.

"I am sure she'll like you, you are…not Eric," Azura said as she looped her arm through Godric's, smiling up at him as he placed his free hand over the one that rested on his arm. Together they approached the doors, seeing through the glass windows that Eric was indeed already inside and sitting at the same table that Azura had occupied days before while studying for her exam. Karen was stand at the table, facing a very smug looking Eric, with a glare on her face.

"Why haven't I seen Azura, vampire?" she was demanding as they walked through the door, Godric holding the door open for the small blonde.

"Her?" Eric asked cockily, looking over to the doorway as he spoke. Karen looked to the right and gasped at the sight of the younger woman, moving forward to greet her but stopping short when she noticed who, or what, she was with. Godric's pale skin was quite easily to pick up on, making it just as easy to take a guess at what he was.

"Salut, Karen," Azura greeted, moving forward with Godric keeping pace easily. "I'm sorry I haven't been here, but exams are almost over. Anyway, I wanted you to meet Godric. He saved me from getting run over while I was on a walk, remember?" she asked, looking to Karen's wide eyes. She didn't seem to be able to register anything past the fact that Azura was hanging around with not just _one_, but _two_ vampires.

"Azura…may I speak with you, in private?" she asked finally, her voice strained as though someone was holding her throat in their hands. Azura's usually bright eyes darkened at the tone and meaning behind her words, causing her to remain completely rooted to her place at Godric's side. "Azura," Karen snapped, glaring at the younger woman discretely as she disobeyed her indirect order.

"You have customers," Azura said in a flat, monotonous voice. Godric stepped closer to Azura protectively at her sudden change in character, watching Karen with dangerous green eyes. Many people that remained in the café at the late hours had begun speaking more quietly, ghosting looks in their direction not too discretely and irritating the two vampires present. Eric rose from where he had been sitting when he saw the movement made by his maker, acting as a threatening bystander toward the human woman that had upset his maker's companion.

"Azura," Karen began in a warning voice, reaching out for the teenagers arm. Before she could even get close Godric was suddenly standing between them, no one having seen him move, and causing Karen to jump and snap her hand back toward herself.

"I believe you may call her at a time in which you are both free, should you wish to speak with her," he intervened fluidly, leaving the café owner with a startled look on her face as she looked into the young man's—vampire's—eyes. "Come now, Azura, you should rest before the night grows too late," he continued, turning around to face the slightly upset blonde. She only nodded her head, though, and allowed him to walk her from the café, an irate Eric following after them.

"I grow to dislike that woman more each time I meet her," Eric rumbled out as they were walking, Godric letting Azura lean against him as she watched the other blonde carefully. She would not easily forget what he had done to her on the way to the café.

"I didn't know she had such a dislike for your kind, I'm sorry," she whispered guiltily, looking to the ground before her.

Godric shushed her and lifted her chin with a gentle hand. "You have done us no harm, mon ciel, there is no need for you to feel you were the one in the wrong. Simply being associated with someone that dislikes our kind does not make you an offender as well." He could hear her heart begin to beat slightly faster inside her chest and offered a faint smile before he turned his attention to Eric. Azura knew as soon as he began speaking that it was not for her ears to hear because he was speaking in a different language, the same that Eric had spoken before when he called her _lilla._

Instead of trying to figure out just what it was that he was saying, Azura just took the time to marvel in his voice, so perfect in the language that he was speaking. It seemed that no matter what accent he had to use he was perfect with it, his tongue curving with the words. At the thought of his tongue the blood rushed up to her cheeks and she forced herself to look away, knowing that the two men would be able to smell the sudden surfacing of her life source.

Godric's fingers threaded through hers as he continued to speak with Eric, calming her suddenly erratic heart and drawing a smile to her lips. He didn't break once in his words, the movement coming so naturally that it would almost seem as though they had been doing it for forever. The emptiness of the streets pleased Azura, the ridicule of being with a vampire left behind because of the missing people.

A small, almost sad smile graced Azura lips as she thought.

Years before she had walked the streets alone, desperate to escape the homes of her 'families', and here she was now with two handsome men walking alongside her, and vampires none the less. It was a shocking change that she never would have believed before; she was just a friendless human girl that was abandoned to die as a babe. Who would dare give her a second thought?

As though he could sense her sadness, Godric's fingers tightened ever so slightly and drew her eyes to him instead. He had stopped speaking with Eric and had turned his attention to her instead. Tugging lightly on her hand, she was pulled up against his side as his lips pressed to her temple, the soothing chill a welcomed relief to her hectic mind.

**I didn't die, I swear, I've just been busy. Starting a new job, a new Semester, yada yada yada. Sorry that I haven't update, but here's a new chapter and I'll try to have another out very soon!**


	9. Through the Storm

**Through the Storm**

They had been waiting for her when she left the school after finishing her exam, standing on the stone steps in their suits and expensive clothes. Azura felt her heart sink at the sight and knew that something was wrong. Her feet carried her toward where a woman had just noticed her approaching, taking off her unneeded sunglasses on the cloudy day.

"Is something wrong?" she asked as soon as she was standing before the people from the agency. "Is it Mrs. Cross?" she asked as her eyes widened with worry. Her foster mother hadn't returned the night before, Azura waking up to the woman's bedroom as empty and silent as a tomb.

"I'm afraid so," she woman answered first, before her fellow workers could even open their mouths to speak. "She's not doing so well and with her health we don't think it's very good for you to remain in her care; she can't even take care of herself right now." Azura's heart felt like it hit the cement at her feet with that the woman was implying.

"You're moving me again, aren't you?" she asked meekly.

The look of pity that the social worker gave her only made her feel worse; she hated the pity that people gave her. It was disgusting, having to see people look at you as though you're a wounded animal. That was the one thing that she could never stand when someone found out about her past—the looks always made her way to draw away from people and she had many times. She'd lost the few friends she had over the years because they felt the need to treat her differently all because she didn't have an _'average' _home life.

"We're terribly sorry, Miss. Bellerose," one of the male workers broke into the conversation, "We're here to take you back to Mrs. Cross's to pack up. You'll be spending a night at the agency, but then you'll be heading out come morning."

"That soon?" Azura demanded in a loud voice before she could stop herself, drawing the gazes of a couple of other people. She looked at them briefly before ducking her head and glancing back at the strangers before her. She had never met these people before, they all wore the same outfit as every other agent she had worked with, but none of these workers had been the ones to relocate her in the past. She briefly found herself missing the last woman that had helped her to find Mrs. Cross.

"We're very sorry, Azura."

"You already said that," she mumbled to herself, looking away from them. Before any of them had a chance to say something else, she began to descend the steps in front of the school, not caring that she didn't know where the vehicle they had taken was but simply wanting to get away from them before she ended up saying something that got her into trouble. She's move around so much that she didn't entirely understand why she was so upset about it at that moment, but there were different variables this time. She had never had to worry over Godric before. She didn't even get to tell him she was leaving because she wouldn't see him until nightfall, and she would be at the agency by then.

She stumbled her way along until one of the female agents placed a hand on her shoulder and motioned toward a black car that was parked a couple of yards away.

Almost two hours later, Azura knew that she could not stall any longer. Slipping the last of her sketchbooks into a box, she left behind the one that she knew Mrs. Cross liked the best as a good-bye present and found her heart sinking into her chest. She wasn't going to be able to tell Godric where she was, she didn't have the time to linger when the agency wanted her moved by that night.

"May I just have a moment," Azura requested the female social worker as she stood in the doorway to the room that she had slept in only the night before. It hurt to think that she was leaving—again—when she had finally found a place that she liked. The woman left her alone with a sad smile, closing the door behind her.

Looking around the room, her chest constricted with sadness and grief before she took a deep breath and reached for her bag. A thought suddenly struck her and she quickly snatched her sketchbook, ripped a clean page from the confines of the covers and pried one of her pencils free from her bag. Scrawling a quick message on the paper for Godric to find, she felt herself become excited over knowing that she _would_ see him again.

Hesitating a moment, she pulled out the knife that she used to sharpen her charcoal and used the sharp pointed end to prick her finger, wincing at the unpleasant feeling. Deep red blood welled up around the silver blade and over her pale skin. She smeared some of the blood onto the page before stowing it away between her mattresses on the side of the bed that Godric always sat on. Leaving it out in the open was stupid because there was a very high chance that someone would find it while collecting the rest of her things; the blood would allow him to know exactly where it was.

Pulling her bag over her shoulder, she glanced back into the room one last time before she opened the door and called to the agent. One of the men came up and collected her suitcase, closing her bedroom door behind him. Azura felt like he was shutting her out of her own life, blocking her out and forcing her to abandon all that she knew.

"Come on, we should get you to the agency; it looks like it's going to storm tonight," he said as he placed a gentle hand on Azura's shoulder, guiding her forward and away from her bedroom. She reluctantly allowed him to move her away, down the stairs and out the front door. He was right about the storm, it looked like it was hours later than it actually was because of the dark, ominous clouds that were beginning to cover the sky.

"I know you don't like the agency building, but it's only for the night," the woman assured as she opened the back door of the car for the younger woman, allowing her to slip in before she followed suit, her colleagues taking their own seats in the drivers' and passenger.

Azura didn't even look at them on the way to the agency, but instead looked out the window at the buildings that they were passing by. People were collecting things from the balconies of their apartments, making sure that nothing was left out in the rain that could be damaged. A boy younger than her was on his bike, trying to get home as fast as he could so that he wasn't caught in the downpour that was looming above him.

She found herself thinking back to when Godric had saved her from running all the way home in the rain, offering her his umbrella and walking with her. He was so cold as he stood at her side, but there was something so welcoming to the chill of his skin that drew her in. Never before had Azura enjoyed the cold so much as she did when he had pulled her against him to prevent her from stepping into the sinkhole and end up drenching herself, also probably tripping and injuring herself.

Closing her eyes, Azura pictured his face as placed her hand over her mouth to hide her smile from the other three people in the vehicle. The image of him in her mind that was the strongest was when they had been in the shower, both drenched to the bone and smiling at one another. Her mind conjured up the feel of his hands on her as his fingers traced her ribs, over her hips and along the underside of her bra.

She missed him.

"We're here," the man behind the wheel called back, glancing at Azura in the rear-view mirror. She repressed the urge to glare at him and immediately released her seatbelt and popped open the door as soon as the car had come to a full stop. The woman called after her, but Azura wasn't going to stay in that car any longer. It would only cause the 'this is for your own good' and 'you'll love your new home' lectures that followed every removal and placement.

"Azura!" the woman called, but the teenager was walking up the steps quite quickly.

The sooner that night came, the sooner she could see Godric.

As dark claimed the city, Azura sat on the single bed in one of the few single rooms in the agency, looking down at the red dot that made up the cut on her finger from the knife she had pricked herself with. It didn't hurt anymore, aside from when she pressed down on it, and she was glad that she hadn't bled a lot and drawn attention to herself. Leaning back against the headboard of her bed, she closed her eyes to the dark room and tried to push aside the troubling, sinking feeling in her stomach.

They probably thought that she was asleep, having closed herself off in that room hours before. The silence was beginning to choke her, though, and Azura was beginning to wish that she hadn't left the adults so soon. At least they were a distraction from her depressing fate and she wasn't left alone with her thoughts on what she might have to endure between that night and when she turned eighteen and could _finally_ escape the system.

The room illuminated with lightning for a moment, causing Azura to jump at the sudden appearance of it. Her eyes stung briefly from the blinding light, forcing her to close them to try and force away the beating in her head that had appeared. She was so focused on the burning in her retinas that she forgot about the thunder the followed and jumped at the resounding boom that seemed to shake the foundations of the building.

"Mon Dieu," she gasped out as she placed a hand over her heart, trying to calm the erratic beating. She was supposed to like storms, why was she so panicky about this one?

"Are you scared?"

Jolting, the voice startled her back against the headboard again before she realized who was standing beside the single bed and a smile broke out on her face. She jumped up before she realized what she was doing and wrapped her arms around Godric's neck, the water that had soaked his clothes from the storm transferring to her own night clothes. She didn't have a single care toward his state, however, because he there finally there.

It was her anxieties about Godric finding her that had her so jumpy.

"I feared that you would not come," she answered, keeping her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she pressed her cheek against the cold, wet strands of his hair. "You found my note?" she asked as she pulled away from him, looking him in the eye. His face was shadowed, the lights coming in from the street only brightening half of his face and leaving the other darkened by the night.

"I did," he answered back, his voice stiff. "Azura…your blood-" His arm tightened around her waist as he drew her in close, inhaling deeply and causing Azura to fight to keep her heart calm in her chest. She didn't want to show that she was nervous or even slightly scarred over his actions, knowing that the vampire side of him was present. "I crave to taste it," he finally finished, his fingers digging into her sides as he, if possible, pressed her even closer to his body. It was as though he was trying to steal the very heat from her body.

"Then bite me," she whispered, her voice trembling as she spoke. "It's alright," she assured when she felt his body tense ever so slightly against her. His breathing deepened as he turned them around and pressed her tightly against the wall. It was different than when they had kissed, when he had held her in the past. She knew exactly what he was going to do and there were so many things that it made her feel.

"Not here," Godric growled against the skin of her throat, making her tremble as though she was being denied pleasure. "Eric will cover for you being gone," he added on before the room was rushed from Azura's view. She gasped as the cold rain assaulted her when he vaulted them out the still open window, her eyes immediately closing as she tried to hide her face in his neck. She expected the trip to be longer, but before she knew it they were encased in warmth as Godric stopped running in a beautifully furnished hotel suit.

"This is where you've been staying?" Azura asked as she dropped her legs from where they were hooked on his hips, his arms still holding her tightly. Her entire body was shivering from the split moment of ice-cold contact she had been through when he was running from the agency to his room. Godric's own body was cold to the touch, emitting no body heat what-so-ever. Even though Godric was incredibly fast, he couldn't stop the icy rain from hitting her while he was flying.

"Your skin is as cold as mine," Godric jested slightly morbidly as he reached up to touch her cheek. The one that had been pressed to his neck wasn't as chilled, but the other was exposed to the cold and felt like ice beneath his fingers. "Come, I'll turn on a warm shower." Godric turned to head toward the bathroom door, but Azura wrapped chilled fingers around his wrist and pulled herself against him, almost as though she was seeking warmth that wasn't there.

She didn't say anything at first, but she found herself thinking back to her dream.

"The night that I had that dream, and woke up because of that…vision; you bit me in my dream-but it was not on my neck…" she trailed off, her cheeks warming rapidly as all of the blood rushed up to them, making her flush a warm pink. Even with her mind being able to conjure up something like that, she was still so shy and embarrassed over the thought of it actually happening. "Is that where you'll bite me?"

"That depends," Godric purred, turning until his face was buried in the crook of her neck, pressing a cool kiss against the steadily warming flesh. "Did I bite you…here?" he asked, rising the hand that was grasping his wrist and pressing a kiss over her pulsing vein. His green eyes darted to look up at her one more. Shakily, she denied his question and Godric smirked faintly. Turning his body to face hers fully, he released her hand and dipped down to ever so softly stroke along the inside of her thigh. "Here?"

She gasped as the muscles in her thigh jumped from the feeling, tensing and relaxing from the sensation.

"Ah, found it," he breathed out, feeling her tremble against his body. "Perhaps getting out of these wet clothes will help you feel better?" he offered, his other hand sliding around her back and beginning to hike up her soaked shirt. Her back arched, forcing the front of her body up against Godric's. "Allow me to assist."

Before Azura could even blink Godric had torn a rip up the back of her shirt and had made a clean line that allowed him to pull it off of her without much more than a simple tug at the front. She was wearing a black bra, identical to the one she had worn in the shower, and he could see the bumps that had risen along her sensitive flesh. Her heart was beginning to beat faster and the pace of her breathing was quickening as well. Godric sighed pleasantly as he leaned down to press his ear over her chest, listening to the loud, wet sound of her heart pumping the blood through her body.

Slipping his hands beneath her thighs, Godric lifted her up into his arms, allowing her to squeeze her thighs at his waist to keep herself up. The elevation allowed Godric to keep his ear pressed against her chest, over her heart. Her hands slipped into his hair, gliding through it until she got to the nape of his neck and her nails scratched the skin as she sighed, feeling his unneeded breath against her chest.

She didn't even notice that he was walking until he dropped her onto the bed that had appeared without her knowing, the mattress so comfortable beneath her and the duvet soft and pleasant against her bared skin. Godric's fingers glided over her sides so quickly that it wasn't even human speed, Azura's body trembling in reaction. Godric inhaled, open mouthed, over her chest as his fingers skimmed along the edge of her bra.

Azura shuddered strongly when she felt his tongue glide over the soft skin between her breasts, the cool feeling drawing her attention to the fact that she was no longer cold. She felt like her entire body was slowly being consumed by flames, Godric's touch the only thing to cool her, protect her from the burn. Simultaneously, she felt like screaming and sobbing, her hands clutching at Godric's shoulder as he carefully began to slide her bra straps lower, not yet removing the material.

In a bold move that shocked Godric and left Azura feeling empowered, she pushed the willing vampire onto his back with one hand on his defined chest as the other slipped behind her and unclasped the bra. She was left straddling Godric's waist, his stomach cool beneath her burning thighs. He looked up at her with clear blue eyes, his pupils constricted to tiny dots. Allowing the garment to drop, she immediately tossed it aside and out of the way.

Cool fingers began to trace over her now burning skin, sending quaking shivers all up her spine and causing goose-bumps to break out over her flesh. Godric's cool digits played over her skin like a pianist glides over the ivory keys of a piano, her back arching in answer to each caress. When she straightened her back once more after Godric's teasing touches disappeared, she looked down to see that he was now just as shirtless as she.

"Tu es glorieux," she whispered as she bent down to press a kiss against his chest, over the ancient ink that was permanently scarred into his skin for the rest of eternity. Curious of his reaction, she dipped her own tongue into the hollow at the base of his throat, one quick lick and she found herself on her back, looking up into Godric's eyes as his fingers played with the material at the hem of her sleep shorts.

"Non," he whispered against her lips, holding her dazed eyes. "Je suis un monstre," he corrected as he dipped his head down into her neck. Azura made a choking sound of shock when she felt his fangs glide along her throat, the pointed lateral incisors scraping just light enough to leave no trace in their wake. Shuddering heavily beneath the vampire, she arched her neck to bare more of her throat to him. "Mon ange," he purred, his fingers once more beginning to dance over her flesh. "Mon ciel."

"Please," Azura begged softly, her legs beginning to tremble against his as he laid his body out along hers, the cool touch of his skin only seeming to increase the intense burn that was slowly being awakened within her. "Please, do not deny me…"

"I would give you the world should you ask it, mon amour," he hushed into her ear, brushing wet strands of hair back and out of the way.

She smiled against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him and pressed a sweet kiss to the end of his collar tattoo. "Just you, Godric. Only you."

Coming together once more, they sealed their promise with a kiss.

**This isn't the end of their private moment together, I promise that it will be continued in chapter 10. Sorry that I haven't been able to update in a while, I know that you all are wonderful for following the story and I truly wish that I could give you the chapters that you all so wonderfully deserve. Alas, times waits for no man and I must continue on with my life. However, I made sure to put some time aside and update this! Hope that you liked it and I will do my utmost BEST to have the next one out in a shorter time than this chapter took.**

_**French**_** to English Translations:**

_**Vous **__**ê**__**tes glorieux – **_**You are glorious**

_**Non**_** – No**

_**Je suis un monstre – **_**I am a monster**

_**Mon ange, mon ciel – **_**My angel, my sky**

_**Mon amour – **_**my love**

**Mon Dieu – My God or my goodness**


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